


Southside Application

by Bex90



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: BDSM, Closeted Ian, Dom!Mickey, M/M, Praise Kink, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Toys, Smut, Sub!Ian, rich!ian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-09-15 18:13:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9249815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bex90/pseuds/Bex90
Summary: Lip Gallagher is the founder and owner of Southside Application, an app developing company. Ian Gallagher is his brother and Second in Charge.While Lip is loved and admired around the office, Ian is not. The younger Gallagher is a seemingly mean and uncaring but he also has a secret that has been haunting him his entire life. Ian finds release in leather cuffs, orgasm denial and prescription pills. Enter Mickey Milkovich who is not only a new Dom at the club Ian frequents, but also his new personal assistant. Can Ian keep his two lives separate, or will having Mickey in both blow up in his face?





	1. Dom Meets Sub

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a long and quiet detailed anon prompt, so I've summarised it. But don't worry anon, I will be including everything you've sent me!

Ian Gallagher glanced over the profile he was given. This guy was a pretty standard Dom, nothing out of the ordinary – well at least on paper.  
“Yeah ok, I’ll work with him” Ian looked up at the guy behind the desk, handing back the clipboard.  
“Head down to room four and strip. Wait in the middle of the room on your knees and he’ll be in in a bit” the receptionist instructed, holding out a keycard.  
“Does he have a name?” Ian asked, taking the keycard in exchange for his phone and wallet. It wasn’t uncommon for Dom’s to forgo their name in the sake of anonymity. It didn’t bother Ian either way, he usually just followed the Dom’s lead.  
The receptionist shook his head. “Just call him Sir”

Ian found the club completely by accident. He was idly surfing porn one afternoon and click after another led him to the club’s website. The images alone were enough to have Ian jerking off in a frenzy. It was the best orgasm he’d had in ages. Once he’d come down from the fourth orgasm high, Ian read through the website. He was surprised to find out the club was only a few blocks from his apartment complex and the address was actually familiar. He attended an open day and the rest, as they say, is history. Ian experienced things he never thought possible and it was the happiest he’d been, well forever.

Ian was pulled from his thoughts by a hand lightly running across his bare shoulders. He jumped, he didn’t even hear the Dom enter the room.  
“You’re meant to be here” The Dom said, his voice stern and velvety. “Where were you?”  
“Sorry Sir” Ian said automatically. “My mind tends to wander when I’m waiting”  
“First rule for the night. You will remain in the room at all times, understand?” The Dom said.  
“Yes Sir, I apologize” Ian bowed his head respectfully, clasping his hands behind his back.  
“Second rule” The Dom gripped Ian’s hair tightly and pulled his head back roughly. “No more apologizing. You’re familiar with the traffic light system, I take it?”  
“Of course Sir” Ian locked eyes with the Dom and was blown away by the depth of their blue. This man was beautiful and Ian hadn’t even seen him from head to toe yet.  
“Talk me through the traffic light system boy” The Dom tightened his grip in Ian’s hair and the redhead’s dick swelled.  
“Red means stop, yellow means change it up and green means good to go” Ian recited. It wasn’t the first time a Dom had asked him to ‘explain’ the traffic light system.  
“Stand up, let me look at you” The Dom instructed, releasing his grip on Ian’s hair and stepping back. Ian obeyed and took the opportunity to look the guy over. He was shorter, a lot shorter, than Ian and his jet-black hair was perfectly styled. He wore nothing but a pair of tailored leather pants that hugged his ass and legs perfectly. It made Ian’s mouth water and his cock ache.

“Like what you see, boy?” The Dom smirked, looking down at Ian with his toned arms crossed over his chest. He stepped forward so Ian’s nose grazed his crotch. Ian closed his eyes and sniffed, instantly intoxicated by his musky scent.  
“Yes Sir” Ian stammered, disappointed when the Dom took a small step back.  
“Show me” He ordered. The Dom put a booted between Ian’s knees and Ian quickly got the message. He leant over and connected his lips to the perfectly polished leather. The Dom tapped at his thigh and Ian made quick work of kissing his way up his leg. As Ian continued to kiss his way around the Dom’s crotch, the Dom reached down and swatted at Ian’s ass until it was red.  
“Come ‘ere” The raven-haired man ordered. Ian obediently followed as the Dom stepped backwards, perching on the edge of a red chair. “Show me that ass of yours”  
Ian was slightly disappointed, he was really hoping he’d get to suck some dick at this point. They’d been together for almost an hour now and he was the only one naked! In the past Ian was usually begging to cum by now. Not that this slower type of foreplay wasn’t turning him on, Ian just wasn’t used to taking things so slowly.  
“In the room” The Dom reminded him sternly and Ian snapped his attention back to the man in front of him. He bit down on his lip in attempt to stop himself from apologizing, instead spinning on his knees and presenting his already sore ass.

                                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                    ~~~~~  
  
  
Mickey Milkovich walked into the club with a swagger he hoped showed an air of confidence. He joined the line to the reception desk just as a tall redhead finished up and headed down the corridor.  
Even from behind Mickey knew he wanted that guy.  
“Who’ve I got tonight, Glenn?” Mickey asked when it was his turn.  
“You’ll like this one, Mickey” Glenn replied, handing him a profile. Mickey read over the information before turning to the headshot. Holy shit – it wasn’t.  
“That’s not the redhead I saw just now, is it?” Mickey asked as he handed back the profile.  
Glenn nodded. “Yep, the one and only”  
“Fuck” Mickey breathed, he was already getting hard in his pants.  
“Room four” Glenn smirked. “Have fun”  
Mickey took the room key and headed down the corridor.

Mickey was pleased to see the his redheaded submissive naked and kneeling in the center of the room when he entered. But he could also tell the sub wasn’t mentally in the room. His suspicions were confirmed when he made himself known and the boy jumped a mile. Mickey didn’t have many rules for his sessions but one of the few was the sub was to stay mentally in the room at all times – where was the fun if a sub just checked out? He’d had it happen a few times in the past and it wasn’t enjoyable to either of them.  
But looking at the redhead, Mickey could tell he was an experienced sub. The perfect posture, the downcast eyes, the arms already locked behind his back. Fucking beautiful. Mickey ran his fingers through the red hair before gripping it tightly and yanking his head back and stating a second rule. Mickey wanted nothing more than to bend the sub over and fuck him right there and then but held back, the best things came to those who wait and all that shit. He had the sub recite the traffic light system and ensure he’d use it if needed.

Mickey was achingly hard as he stared down at the sub, who was kissing his way up to his crotch. The sub’s impressive cock was rock hard but Mickey refrained from going anywhere near it – for now. Instead he ordered the sub to present his ass. And holy hell was he glad he did. The sub ass was perfectly round, not quite a bubble butt but not far from it. The sub’s ass was a pretty pink colour but Mickey wanted to see how red he could make it.  
“Crawl over to that cupboard and bring back a whip or cane” Mickey instructed, pointing to the large wooden cupboard across the room.  
“Yes Sir” the sub replied. He made his way across the room, making sure to give Mickey a show as he went. When he returned with a cane between his teeth, Mickey was busy palming himself through his pants.

“Good boy” Mickey praised as he took the cane and tested it on the palm of his hand. The sub resumed his position as Mickey stood up and circled him. “I’m going to cane that pretty little ass of yours and when it gets too much I want you to tell me, none of this trying to impress me crap. I want to know if I’ve reached your limit. Understand?”  
“Yes Sir” the sub replied. Mickey ran the tip of the cane down the curve of the sub’s spine before striking his ass. It was on the tenth strike that the sub began whimpering, so Mickey switched it up, striking the backs of his thighs.  
“Red!” the sub cried after the thirtieth strike. Mickey tossed the cane aside and let the sub catch his breath while he wandered over to the cupboard and came back with a glass of water and a bottle of lotion. By the time Mickey returned the sub was trying to find a comfortable position to sit.  
“Stand up and drink this” Mickey said, holding out the water. He helped the sub to his feet and held his steady as the sub sipped on the water. Once the glass was empty Mickey silently guided him over to a bench and had him lay on his stomach.  
“How’re you feeling?” Mickey asked, running a hand through the red hair.  
“Good, sore though” the sub returned. “That was intense”  
“I take it you’ve never done something like that” Mickey squirted some of the lotion onto his hands and began massaging the sub’s ass and thighs.  
“Not really, it’s usually a rough fuck with the occasional spanking” the sub moaned in pleasure as Mickey’s lotion covered hands soothed his growing welts. “That feels so good”  
“You’re gonna have some beautiful welts” Mickey commented as he continued the massage.

“Fuuuccck” the sub moaned as Mickey’s finger grazed his hole. The sub raised his ass to give Mickey more access. Mickey was able to get three fingers into the sub’s hole and quickly found his prostate.  
“Gonna come” the sub mumbled, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. Mickey removed his fingers abruptly, leaving the redhead feeling empty.  
“Ass up” Mickey ordered as he fumbled around for a condom. By the time Mickey had prepped himself, the sub was up on his knees with his fingers in his ass.  
“Did I say you could do that?” Mickey asked yanking the sub’s fingers from his own ass. “Put your hands above your head” Mickey made quick work of securing the redhead’s wrists to the end of the bench. “And just for that you’re not allowed to come until I tell you”  
The sub whined as Mickey pressed into him and slowly bottomed out. Mickey set a punishing pace, leaning heavily on the sub’s back.  
“So close” the sub groaned. “Please, can I come?”  
“No” Mickey said simply as he stilled and reached around to grip the sub’s cock painfully. Without releasing the sub’s cock, Mickey continued to pound his ass. “Your ass is so tight, fuck”

 

                                                                                                                                  ~~~~~

 

Ian was a withering, spaced out mess. He’d been denied an orgasm twice in the last fifteen minutes and he could barely feel his body. His wrists were still chained to the top of the bench and the Dom was still balls deep in his ass, drilling into his prostate with every thrust. Without any warning the Dom came with a force that buckled Ian’s knees. He then flipped Ian onto his back and pumped his cock hard.  
“Please” Ian begged but the Dom shook his head releasing his cock with a smirk. Ian almost cried when the Dom stepped away entirely. Ian could hear him removing the condom and cleaning up.  
“Sir?” Ian called, trying to locate the Dom in the dim light.  
“Yes?” Ian nearly jumped out of his skin when the Dom appeared at his ear. How the hell does he sneak around like that?  
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you. But like I said, as punishment for fingering yourself without permission you’re gonna have to wait” The Dom chuckled as he nibbled at Ian’s ear lobe.  
Then he was gone again, only to reappear seconds later with a cruel looking toy in his hand.  
“Ever come untouched?” He asked as he smeared the toy in lube. “Let’s see if you can, shall we?”  
Ian moaned as the toy breached his entrance. He yelped when it started vibrating.  
“Fucking hell” Ian groaned as the vibrations were increased. “Please”  
“You can come” the Dom said mercifully.  
Barely five minutes later Ian had the most intense orgasm of his life. His entire body felt like jelly and he hoped he wasn’t expected to leave the room anytime soon.  
“How’re you doing?” the Dom asked as he released Ian’s wrists and rubbed then gently before placing them on Ian’s cum stained stomach.  
“I…I can’t feel my legs” Ian stammered, struggling to string a sentence together.  
“Lie there as long as you need but I need to get going” the Dom chuckled. Ian looked over in time to see him smile and it was the most beautiful sight. The Dom leant over Ian and pecked him lightly on the lips before heading for the door.

It took Ian another fifteen minutes before he was able to sit up and redress. His legs were still a little wobbly as he headed out of the room. He’d made a promise to himself that he’d never see the same Dom twice but after that session, he was more than willing to break his own rule.


	2. The New Assistant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey starts his new jobs and get the surprise of his life when he meets his boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh lookie here a new chapter within a week! Please don't get used to it coz I doubt I can keep it up haha

Ian walked into his office, sighing. He hated Monday mornings. It was the start of yet another long week and he had to wait five long days before he felt alive again.  
He’d be forever grateful to his brother for giving him this job, the money was good and he didn’t really have to do too much. Supervise the other workers, attend a meeting every now and again and send out a bunch of daily emails. He knew he wasn’t well liked throughout the office, he kept to himself as much as possible – letting Lip deal with the employees on a day to day basis. But apparently, he’d have to put in a bit more of an effort today. Ian hissed as he sat in his leather chair and turned on his computer before reaching in the small cupboard in the desk and pulling out a ring cushion. As he settled a little more gingerly on the cushion he spotted a note taped to the computer screen, in Lip’s barely legible scrawl.

I’m not going to make it into the office today, meeting with a new client. Need to kiss ass. Your PA is starting today. Play nice. Call me if you only really need to. - LG

Fuck. Ian had forgotten about the new assistant. He didn’t really know why Lip was so insistent he have an assistant but Ian was sick and tired of the conversations so he’d given in. Just to be stubborn, Ian refused to be involved in the interview process which, in hindsight, was stupid. Now Ian was stuck with someone he hadn’t met and Lip wasn’t here to be a buffer. Fuck. Ian unlocked the top drawer in his desk and pulled out a nondescript battered little tin with shaking hands.  
“Mr. Gallagher?”  
Ian’s head shot up at the voice and found a timid young girl wearing far too much makeup standing in the door way.  
“What is it, Jenna?” Ian sighed. His long fingers clasped around the tin tightly.  
“Mickey Milkovich is here, sir” Jenna spoke softly. It irritated Ian how timid the stupid girl was.  
“Who?” Ian had no idea who she was talking about, even though it was clear by her voice he should.  
“Your personal assistant Mr. G hired” Jenna explained.  
“Ah” At least Ian now knew his name. “Has he been shown around yet?”  
Jenna shook her head. “Mr. G was going to do that but…”  
Ian rolled his eyes, sighing. “Lip’s not here. Ok, give me a minute and I’ll come out” Ian grimaced at his wording but it went unnoticed by Jenna, who just nodded before turning on her heel and heading back to her desk.  
Once he was alone, Ian quickly tossed two tiny white pills from the tin into his mouth and swallowed them dry before locking them back in the drawer and heading out onto the floor. 

“Milkovich?” Ian said, looking between the four guys who sat in the small waiting area by Jenna’s reception desk. When the guy stood up Ian froze, panicking. Why the hell would Lip hire this guy? A sliver of rational thought managed to make its way into Ian’s panic. Lip doesn’t know about any of it. He’s not to blame. Nobody’s out to destroy you.

“You ok Mr. Gallagher?” Jenna asked from her desk as she stared at her boss.  
“I’m fine” Ian snapped before he turned to look Mickey straight on for the first time that morning. “Follow me Milkovich” Mickey dutifully followed Ian down the corridor back to Ian’s office. 

“Did you know?” Ian barked the second his office door was closed. “Is that why you took the job?”  
Ian paced in front of his desk, shaking. Mickey was completely bewildered, he hadn’t expected to walk into his new job and have this guy as his boss.  
“No, I had no idea” Mickey replied. “But what I do outside this office is irrelevant to my job”  
“Surely you recognized my name on the profile” Ian rambled, unable to look at Mickey.  
“Your name wasn’t on the profile, if anything you should’ve recognized me at the club. You did hire me” Mickey reasoned.  
“I…I wasn’t at the interviews” Ian mumbled. “My brother did all that” A strained silence fell over the office as Ian tried to gather his thoughts and decide what to do next. One thing was for sure, Mickey couldn’t work for him. Ian couldn’t have him in this part of his life.  
“I’m not going anywhere” Mickey stated as though he could read Ian’s mind. “How are you going to explain firing your new assistant on his first day, huh?”  
“But…I…can’t….you can’t” Ian stammered.  
Mickey stepped forward with a surge of energy Ian instantly recognized. “I’m not going anywhere, Ian. I’m damn good at my job and you’re lucky to have me”  
“You can’t be here!” Ian hissed, anger bubbling in his throat like burning lava.  
“I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere” Mickey repeated in a voice that shot straight to Ian’s dick. “And you’re not firing me”  
~~~~~

Mickey was surprised, to say the least, when he walked into the offices of the Gallagher brothers. He was even more surprised when Ian Gallagher walked out. Fuck he was beautiful. Whether he was standing at his full height in a tailored suit or naked and on his knees, Ian Gallagher was stunning. It also become clear to Mickey that Ian Gallagher had a few issues. When they locked eyes in the waiting room, the color had drained from Ian’s face so fast Mickey was worried the man was going to pass out. Then he started rambling about how Mickey couldn’t work for him. Mickey would’ve scoffed in the man’s face if he hadn’t been so concerned. 

If Mickey was being completely honest, he hadn’t been able to get Ian out of his head since Friday night. (not that he knew his name back then). He felt a connection with Ian that made Mickey want to get to know the man outside the club. The universe seemed to have the same idea. 

“Ian, sit” Mickey instructed. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of the nearest chair. Ian looked conflicted, like he wanted to obey but felt like he couldn’t. So Mickey made his mind up for him. “Sit boy”  
It was like a switch as had flipped in Ian’s brain and he obediently walked around his desk and sat in his chair. He looked at Mickey expectantly.  
“I want you to forget where we first met. Today you’re my boss and you’re going to act like it” Mickey said. Ian nodded and before he could speak, they were interrupted by his office phone.  
Ian rolled his eyes and picked up the receiver. “Finished kissing ass, Lip?”  
“Managed to get away for a few minutes. How’s everything at the office? Your assistant turn up?” Lip asked.  
“Lip it’s barely 10am, what on earth could possibly go wrong yet?” Ian asked back.  
“Remind me how many people quit the last time you were left in charge” Lip chuckled and Ian rolled his eyes hard.  
“Fuck you” Ian said but there was no bite. “Is that all you rang for? To check up on me?”  
“No, I’m going to be out of town for a few days so I need you to be your charming self and keep things running in my absence” Lip explained.  
Ian sighed, running a hand over his face. “Guess it’s a good thing I have an assistant now”  
“I gotta run but get Kerri to log you into my computer, there’s a schedule on it I want you to keep” Lip said hurriedly. Ian could hear him walking towards people who were calling him.  
“Ok, I’ll talk to you later” Ian said before dropping the phone back into its cradle.

“Bad news?” Mickey asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.  
“My brother is going out of town for a few days and has left me in charge” Ian explained, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling as though it could offer some answers.  
“Isn’t that part of your job?” Mickey asked carefully.  
“To be completely honest I don’t actually do a whole lot here at all” Ian confessed. It felt oddly cathartic to say that so someone he barely knew.  
“So what, you just sit in this big office all day doing fuck all?” Mickey was losing respect for this guy by the second. “While everyone out there does the real work”  
Ian sighed again. “I never wanted this job, trust me, but Lip insisted I didn’t spend my days sitting on the sofa watching TV”  
“So you come into a fancy fucking office to do it instead. Not to mention you get paid a shitload to do it” Mickey couldn’t hide his anger. “So why do you need someone to assist you doing fuck all?”  
“I think it’s Lip’s way of telling me he wants me more involved in the company” Ian said reaching into his locked desk drawer. Mickey watched as his new boss pulled out a small bag of weed and started rolling a joint.  
“Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?” Mickey laughed humorlessly as he dived across the desk and pulled the joint from between Ian’s lips, crushed it and tossed it into the trash can.  
“Didn’t take you for such a square” Ian muttered, shaking his head.  
“I like getting high as such as the next guy but there’s a time and a place” Mickey replied. “You’ve got people out there who need to know what the fuck is going on. They sure as hell don’t need to hear from a boss who is high”  
“I could just have you do it, I am your boss after all” Ian said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
“And who am I to them? Nobody knows me, it’s your job as second in charge to fill in where needed” Mickey countered, matching Ian’s stance. Suddenly Ian became very shy and self-conscious.  
“Nobody likes me very much” Ian all but whispered.  
Mickey rolled his eyes before standing up. “What are you, twelve? I’ll get everyone in the conference room, you have one of those don’t you?” Ian nodded. “And you’re gonna come in and explain shit to them”  
Ian stood up and skipped (yes, skipped) over to Mickey who was bent over as he searched for something in his jacket pocket.  
“Do I get a reward if I do this?” Ian whispered hotly in Mickey’s ear.  
“Oh, we’re acknowledging that now are we?” Mickey smirked as he straightened up. He backed Ian up against the wall and boxed him in. “Maybe, if you can be a good boy”  
Ian smirked and deliberately rubbed himself against Mickey as he headed for the door, leaving Mickey very confused. Ian Gallagher was going to be very hard to keep up with.

~~~~~ 

Mickey spent the rest of the day running around trying to find assistant type work to do. After the disaster that the meeting turned out to be Ian slinked back to his office and closed the blinds, effectively cutting everyone off. That left Mickey to answer the barrage of questions that were thrown his way about a boss he barely knew and his brother who thought it was a good idea to leave without informing anyone.  
A little after 2pm Jenna called him out to reception and Mickey was met by a tired looking woman in her mid-thirties.  
“Mickey, this is Kerri Mr. G’s assistant” Jenna said as Kerri smiled at Mickey and held her hand out.  
“Finally, someone who knows what they’re doing” Mickey shook Kerri’s hand.  
“I like to think so” Kerri chuckled before turning to Jenna. “Jen, can you have a couple of coffees brought to Lip’s office, I think Mickey and I are going to need them”  
“He been in there all day?” Kerri asked as Mickey followed her past Ian’s office and down to a larger, fancier room.  
“Pretty much, told me to fuck off and find something to do” Mickey replied. “Is there something wrong with him? He seems all over the place”  
Kerri sighed as he placed her bag and coat over the back of a leather sofa and made her way over the huge desk that dominated the room. “That’s a conversation for you and Lip to have”  
Mickey didn’t like the sound of that. He took a seat in one of the armchairs opposite Kerri as she tapped away at Lip’s computer.  
“I’m guessing you’re his assistant” Mickey said, more to fill the silence than anything.  
“Oh shit! I’m so sorry” Kerri gasped, realizing her mistake. “That and his wife. I keep this place going while Lip’s off wooing new clients”  
“And what exactly does Ian do?” Mickey asked.  
Kerri sighed again, she seemed to do that a lot when Ian was mentioned. “I love my brother in law, I really do. But the guy has a few issues and he’s been hiding from them for years. Lip was hoping giving him this job would motivate Ian to actually do something with his life. But it seems to have had the opposite affect”  
“Why should he do anything with his life, he’s got a damn good set up here. Rock up to work, sit in a fancy office all day, do fuck all and get paid a shitload” Mickey retorted.  
Kerri sighed yet again and when she spoke her voice was sad. “I know that’s what it looks like from the outside but Ian’s really not a bad guy, he’s just his own worst enemy”

~~~~~

Mickey couldn’t shake what Kerri had said to him for the rest of the day. Ian is his own worst enemy.  
Maybe he’d been a bit quick to judge the guy, maybe he deserved a second chance. Mickey decided he needed to talk to Ian, find out where the guy’s head was at.  
That resolve all but crumbled when he returned to the redhead’s office to collect his things at the end of the day. Mickey entered the office to find Ian waiting for him. On his knees. And naked. Mickey had no idea how long he’d been there like that but he couldn’t lie, it was hot sight.  
“Um, Ian what are you doing?” Mickey quickly shut the door and locked it, ensuring all the blinds were down.  
“It helps me focus, stay grounded” Ian looked up at Mickey through his long lashes. “Plus I was hoping we could have a repeat of the last session”  
“Uh…you sure you want to do it here?” Mickey stammered as he tried to hide his growing boner.  
“I can’t go home and the club’s too far away” Ian stated. “Is everyone gone?”  
Mickey nodded dumbly. He’d said goodbye to the last person and promised to set the alarm. Mickey shook off his surprised and closed his eyes to gather himself. When he opened them, it was like looking through a new lens. Everything was clear and he felt a sense of control settled over him. 

“I think you need to be punished” Mickey said lowly as he circled Ian. “You weren’t a very good boss today and you were rude to a lot of people”  
“Yes Sir” Ian raised his head and Mickey could see the sense of calm wash over his face. Ian wanted this, he wanted to hand over control.  
“Take off my belt and bend yourself over the sofa” Mickey ordered as he rummaged around for his wallet. He pulled out a condom but fell short on the lube.  
“There’s petroleum jelly in the second drawer, Sir” Ian spoke up as he unbuckled Mickey’s belt and pulled it from the loops.  
“Go grab it” Mickey ordered. Ian was quick to obey and held out the small tub as he bent himself over the sofa. Mickey stared at Ian’s bare ass and he could see the faded remains of the welts he’d given the redhead the last time. He also remembered the redhead’s limit of thirty swats and decided to only give him half. Mickey wanted to be able to fuck him into oblivion shortly after.  
“You’re gonna count out each one, you hear me?” Mickey said as he raised the belt.  
“Yes Sir” Ian said before the first strike. “One!”  
Ian stayed stoic for the entire spanking, the only sounds leaving his lips was each number as the belt connected with his ass and Mickey was impressed. But he also sensed there was something more going on than just subspace.  
Mickey flipped Ian over and pulled him to the floor before rolling on the condom and ploughing into the redhead with little prep. Neither lasted very long and Mickey didn’t even have the energy to point out that Ian had come without permission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ian's erratic behaviour is hiding something and all will be revealed soon enough. I'm sure some of you could have a good guess though...


	3. Addict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lip returns and he and Mickey have a conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried to get into Ian's head at the start of his chapter. Not sure if I did it justice.

Ian was floating. He felt higher than he’d ever been as the cane connected with the back of his thigh yet again. He couldn’t see anything, the blindfold made sure of that. He jerked against the restraints that held him down against the bed. It was exhilarating to not know when or where the next strike would land. Ian strained his ears to try and work out where Mickey was, jumping when the cane connected with his ass.   
“Fuck you’re beautiful” Mickey’s silky voice filtered through Ian’s high and into his brain. It was the perfect addition, propelling him higher. Ian let out a little whine when he heard the cane in the hardwood floor but that whine soon turned to moans when he felt Mickey’s hands on him, massaging a warm oil into his bruised and welted skin. 

This feeling, this high, was what Ian loved, what he lived for. He chased it at any cost. It made him forget he was lying to everyone around him. He didn’t care that his mental health suffered, as long as he could achieve this perfection. 

Ian felt teeth sink into his shoulder and nails scrape down the curve of his back. Fuck, it was perfect. Then there was a pressure at his hips as Mickey pressed his entire weight down on Ian’s back as he pushed into him, instantly bottoming out. Ian writhed under his Dom as he adjusted to the intrusion. The fullness was exquisite and when Mickey started moving it was even more so. Mickey set a punishing pace that hit Ian’s prostate with precision, bringing the redhead to the edge quickly.   
“I’m close” Ian breathed, biting at his forearm as though it would keep his orgasm at bay. Mickey barely slowed down and stayed silent, not giving the permission Ian was seeking. “Fuucckk”  
“Not yet” Mickey said smoothly, biting down on Ian’s shoulder again. Ian flexed around Mickey’s cock, causing the older man to let out a strangled moan.   
Mickey pulled out, but only enough so he could flip a surprised Ian onto his back; not caring that the redhead’s long limbs were tangled. He just wanted to see him come because it was fucking beautiful. 

“You can come” was all the encouragement Ian needed to shoot his load all over his stomach. Mickey joined him seconds later, pulling out and collapsing on the bed beside him.   
“I might just leave you like this” Mickey chuckled, dipping his finger in the pool of come on Ian’s stomach and using it to draw lines up to Ian’s chest and around his nipples. Mickey traced his finger over Ian’s lips and the redhead parted his lips and let the wandering fingers into his mouth. 

Ian was still floating as he sucked on Mickey’s fingers. He was exhausted but happy. A strange feeling was beginning to creep it’s way into Ian’s mind. It was something he’d never felt before but always wondered about. He’d heard people wax poetic about this feeling but had no firsthand experience with it. Until now. Ian screwed his eyes shut and shook his head. It was a ridiculous notion, he’d known Mickey for such a short time. But when Ian opened his eyes and looked over at the man lying next to him, his hair a mess and a blissed out smile on his face, there was no denying it.   
Ian was falling for Mickey. Falling hard. 

~~~~~

Mickey had been at his new job for barely a week and he was already exhausted. Just as he’d predicted, Ian Gallagher was proving very hard to keep up with. He could go from nice and chatty to mean and snappy within a minute. But one side glance from Mickey had Ian lowering his head and walking away. Mickey didn’t know if this was a good thing or not, part of him felt like he was manipulating Ian into being someone he wasn’t. But on the other hand others in the office had approached him and commented on how much nicer Ian was (albeit slowly) becoming with Mickey working for him. 

Mickey walked into the office early on Friday morning, waving at Jenna who was setting herself up at the reception desk.   
“Ah, Mickey, hang on a sec would you?” Jenna said as she disappeared under her desk.   
“What’s up?” Mickey asked, leaning across the desk to see Jenna rummaging through her oversized handbag.   
“Mr. G is back” Jenna said as she remerged. “And he wants to see you”   
“Shit, do you know what about?” Mickey’s mind flashed over the last week – surely his boss didn’t know about his extra-curricular activities.   
“You’re fine” Jenna laughed. “He didn’t seem angry, I’m sure it’s just to check in after your first week. He does it with all the newbies”  
“Ok, sure” Mickey nodded but not completely convinced. There was still that tiny voice in the back of head that told him to start packing up. He wandered past Ian’s office down to Lip’s and knocked tentatively. Why the hell was he shaking? Fucking hell Milkovich, get it together. 

“Come in” a voice from within called. Mickey opened the door to reveal Kerri sitting across from a man with light brown hair he vaguely recognized. Before Mickey could say anything, Kerri got to her feet and smiled at him. “Coffee?”   
“Um, yeah thanks” Mickey stammered, unsure of how to respond to his boss’s wife, no assistant.   
“Lip?” Kerri turned to her husband who had come out from behind the next and was standing next to Mickey.   
“Yeah, thanks Kez” Lip smiled as he smoothed down his black pants. Without another word, Kerri nodded and headed out of the office.   
“You wanted to see me, boss?” Mickey turned his attention to the man in front of him. Lip wasn’t much taller than Mickey, his hair was a mess and his dark blue shirt was untucked.   
Mickey smirked. “Perks of having the wife as your assistant, hey?”  
“What?” Lip looked alarmed, like he’d been caught out, quickly spotting his untucked shirt and chuckled bashfully. “So not what you think”  
“Yeah, ok. I ain’t gonna say anything” Mickey dismissed, wanting to move on from the subject.   
“Take a seat Mickey” Lip said once he’d regained his composure and was sitting behind his desk.   
“How’re you settling in?”  
Mickey shrugged. “It’s been fine. Still finding my way around the office”   
“Didn’t Ian show you around?” Lip queried, the concern clear in his voice.   
“The first day turned into a bit of a shit show. I know I shouldn’t say this about my boss, but I don’t think Ian’s exactly capable of the job”  
“Ian’s plenty capable!” Lip snapped defensively. It was an automatic tick, defending Ian. Lip had been doing it his entire life.   
“According to both your wife and Ian himself Ian’s position is more for show than anything else” Mickey countered. He wasn’t trying to attack Ian, in fact Mickey liked the redhead a lot but as a boss, he wasn’t the best person for the job.   
Lip sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “There’s a few things you need to know about Ian. But first I need your word that everything I tell you stays in the room. Nobody else needs to know about this, got it?”   
Mickey nodded. “Yeah, cone of silence and all that”   
“No seriously Mickey, I need to know I can trust you with this information. You can’t take this lightly, Ian means too much to me”   
Me too Mickey found himself thinking. “Ok, I get it. Nothing leaves this room”

“Ian’ s bipolar”   
“Ah”  
“He’s in denial and self-medicating”  
“Oh”  
Whatever Mickey thought he was expecting, that wasn’t it. 

“He’s also gay but doesn’t want anyone to know”  
That Mickey knew. Ian wasn’t the first closeted case he’d dealt with.   
“Why doesn’t he want anyone to know?”  
“He thinks his sexuality would harm the company if he came out”   
“That’s fucking ridiculous”   
“I know but it’s so deep rooted it warps his thoughts”

Mickey stared at his boss, unsure of what to say. He had a feeling Ian had a few issues but a mental illness coupled with denial about his sexuality was the furthest thing from his mind. But one thing that concerned him the most.   
“Exactly how is he self-medicating?”

Lip sighed. He hated having this conversation. It wasn’t enjoyable to talk about his brother in this manner, like the guy couldn’t look after himself. There were details he deliberately left out but there are certain things someone working so closely with Ian just needed to know.   
“It’s nothing illegal, except for a bit of weed every now and again” Lip chuckled flatly. “He’s been prescribed a series of meds but only takes them when he wants to”   
“Why don’t you force him to take it seriously?” Mickey asked. “You’re his boss after all”   
“I’ve been his brother a lot longer” Lip quipped a little harsher than he intended. “We tried that years ago, and we almost lost him. He’s a runner and this particular time he went missing for almost three years. I was in the middle of starting this place up when I found him. I let him crash with me under the condition he got his shit together, got a job and got help”   
“And how well is that working out for you?” Mickey stared back at his boss, the challenge clear in his eyes.   
“I’m only telling you this because as his PA, you need to know” Lip replied, refusing to take the bait. Mickey wasn’t the first person to disapprove of his methods of dealing with Ian. Admittedly, they may not be the best methods but Lip wanted to trust his brother and not treat him like a child. His family had almost lost Ian once, Lip was sure as hell not going to let that happen again. 

Mickey left Lip’s office a little dazed and overwhelmed by all the information. But everything Lip had shared with him explained a lot. At least Mickey now knew why he was having such a hard time keeping up with the redhead. It had been hard to listen to Lip talk about his brother like that, like Ian was something that needed to be fixed or monitored at all times. But he also understood where Lip was coming from. Ian wasn’t in the habit of making anything easy and that was half the fun most of the time. But Mickey also knew the heartbreak of watching a sibling self-destruct the way Ian had and in some ways was still doing. 

Mickey paused at Ian’s office door. He’d been told Ian wasn’t coming into the office and now he understood why. The office was dark and a complete mess. For a guy who did very little, Ian sure knew how to leave an impression. Mickey flipped on the light, closed the door and set about cleaning up.   
As Mickey emptied the trash can he spotted a piece of paper sticking out from underneath the desk. With a few hard yanks the paper came free and it turned out to be a photo. In the photo were six people and Ian was smack bang in the middle of them. Mickey recognized Lip standing next to him, an arm slung over Ian’s broad shoulders. There was a younger girl with the same flaming red hair on Ian’s other side. Standing behind Lip and with her arms slung over both Lip and Ian was an older looking girl with her brown hair up in a messy bun. Standing next to Lip was a shorter boy who was flipping off the camera with a smirk. Sitting cross-legged on the floor was a black kid and while the rest of the people looked alike, Mickey could see no resemblance to the others. He assumed these were the rest of the Gallagher siblings, he’d heard snippets throughout the office about the Gallaghers back in Chicago. Mickey smoothed out the crumpled photo, his eyes lingering on the younger Ian before leaning it carefully against the computer screen and headed out.   
As he wandered down the hall Mickey pulled out his phone and shot off a quick ‘how’re you doing?’ text to Ian. They hadn’t spoken in a couple of days and Mickey couldn’t deny he was almost missing the redhead. It was strange, Mickey felt a weird pull towards him, a desire to just be with Ian as much as possible. He’d never felt it before so it scared the hell out of him. But somewhere deep in his brain, Mickey could hear a little voice repeating a word that started with ‘L’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of Mickey's past will be revealed in later chaps but you can assume it follows canon somewhat,,, and somewhat not =P  
> Ian is less canon, but still bipolar. There's no army though. Stay tuned!
> 
> Come talk to me on Tumblr - livefortoday-dreamforever


	4. Mrs. Gallagher Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey meets Mrs. Gallagher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait. I've been feeling a little off kilter recently so everything has taken a little more effort than normal. But I've found that getting back into writing has helped immensely, so hopefully I can have the next few chapters up in quick succession.

Ian sat at his desk, eyes crossed and desperately trying not to squirm as he typed away on his computer. He stared at his screen, the blank document mocking him. He’d been attempting to type out an email for over half an hour but a certain constant pulsing was horribly distracting. His pants were tight and he was barely holding it together.   
A distant ding alerted him to a new arrival in the office and Ian looked up to see Mickey exit the elevator and walk onto the floor, two large coffees in hand. Ian sighed in relief but then groaned when he saw Mickey stop at Jenna’s desk. Perfect fucking time for idle chit-chat. Ian clenched as he felt the pulsing increase.   
“How’s that email going?” Mickey asked with a wicked grin when he finally walked into Ian’s office. He closed the door behind him before walking around the desk and looking over Ian’s shoulder. Mickey tutted in Ian’s ear, his hot breath fanning over the back of the redhead’s neck and doing absolutely nothing to help Ian’s current situation.   
“Turn. It. Off” Ian spoke through gritted teeth as Mickey took a seat across from him, grinning madly behind his take-away coffee cup.   
“And why would I do that?” Mickey asked as he put his coffee on the desk and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small black remote. Ian eyed it with distaste.   
“We’re at work” Ian whisper-shouted, trying to keep the desperation from his voice.   
“So? Hasn’t stopped us before” Mickey fiddled with the controls, causing Ian to go crossed-eyed.   
Instead of answering, Ian stiffened and threw his head back as the toy inside him shot up to eleven. If anyone peered into the office at that every point they may have thought Ian was having some sort of seizure. Ian’s entire body shook as the orgasm hit him with force. Mickey shifted in his chair as he watched his sub climax.   
“Please, turn it off” Ian begged once he’d regained in composure and found his voice.   
“Tell me what you did wrong” Mickey stated, ignoring his sub’s plea.   
“What?” Ian was confused. He’d barely been able to string a sentence together, what could he have possibly said wrong? 

Oh. Shit.

It wasn’t what he said, it was what he hadn’t. Or more specifically, hadn’t asked.   
“I didn’t ask permission to cum, Sir” Ian said softly, his eyes downcast.   
“Exactly. You know perfectly well you need permission to cum, yet you didn’t ask” Mickey said. He knew he was being a little harsh, he knew Ian was barely holding it together as it was. But what kind of Dom would he be if he let this infraction slide?   
The longer the toy pulsed on its highest setting, the more pain Ian was in. It had gone beyond pleasure now, it was bleeding him dry. Ian didn’t know how much longer he could stand it before he would be dashing into the bathroom to yank it out, permission be damned. Mickey seemed to take pity on him eventually, the pulsing gradually slowing.   
“As punishment it’s going to stay in for the rest of the day” Mickey told him. “If I want you do something, I’ll just buzz you” He grinned as he turned the toy back to its highest setting for a spilt second to make his point. 

Mickey had been working for Ian for almost three months and they’d been fucking since day one. It was still a secret, much to Mickey’s displeasure but he continually pushed the boundaries. He didn’t like being Ian’s dirty little secret but had developed such strong feelings for the redhead, he didn’t not want to be in his life. So they messed around discreetly after hours and at the club. Neither man had suggested taking it back to either of their places yet. Not that Mickey hadn’t thought about it, what it would be like to have Ian all to himself for night or even an entire weekend. But after everything Lip had told him a few weeks ago, Mickey was taking things slowly and the pace seemed to be working for Ian. The redhead was willing to do everything Mickey wanted him to with little to no question or resistance. It was by no means perfect but it was theirs and for right now both Mickey and Ian were happy. So naturally something had to come in and fuck it all up. 

~~~~~

A few days later Mickey arrived at work to a flurry of activity. He glanced at his phone and saw several missed text messages from Ian and a missed call from Lip. What the fuck was going on?  
“Morning Mickey” Jenna greeted him as he walked towards her desk.   
“What’s going on? Why do I have messages from Ian saying I need to stay away from the office today?” Mickey asked, brandishing his phone at her.   
“That’s the reason” Jenna pointed to a tall woman wrapped in a form fitting, floor length black coat who was exiting Ian’s office and making a beeline for him.   
“Who the fuck is that?” Mickey gaped as he watched Ian dart out of his office and grab her elbow, dragging her back towards him.   
“Mrs. Gallagher” Jenna said, pulling Mickey’s attention back to her with a snap of her fingers.   
Even though they were trying to keep their relationship a secret, Mickey was sure people around the office knew more about them than anyone was letting on. Part of him was grateful to them for not saying anything. He was positive that if Ian found out that people in the office knew about them, about him, he’d bolt. But then if someone was to say something it would force Ian to face the reality he’d been hiding from for so long. 

“When did Kerri dye her hair?” Mickey asked dumbly but he already knew the answer.   
“That’s not Kerri” Jenna informed him. Loud voices and a slammed door made both Jenna and Mickey jump. Mickey looked towards Ian’s office and saw the woman coming towards him, a dejected Ian following in her wake. As the woman got closer, the clicking of her black heels getting louder on the hard wood floor, Mickey got a better look at her. She was stunning and slender with her blonde hair perfectly styled. The woman sure as hell wasn’t old enough to be anyone’s mother, let alone a mother of six. That only left one other Mrs. Gallagher. Oh fuck, yeah that one. 

“Are you Milkovich?”   
Mickey blinked, staring stupidly at the woman who’d stopped before him. Ian hovered behind her like a chastised child.  
“Uh, yes ma’am” Mickey stammered, trying to catch Ian’s eye but the redhead refused to look at him. Mickey sighed, turning his attention back to the woman. “I’m Mickey”  
“You and I need to have a chat” She said breezily. “We’ll go have a coffee”   
“Um, yeah ok” Mickey said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “Who exactly are you?”  
The woman looked pointedly at him. They both knew Mickey already knew the answer but he needed her to say it.   
“Maria Gallagher” The woman replied. “Ian’s wife”

Mickey felt like he was going to be sick. He glanced over Maria’s shoulder and finally caught Ian’s eye. The redhead was crying and looked like he desperately wished the floor would swallow him up.   
“Can I talk to Ian first?” Mickey asked.   
Maria shook her head. “He’s going to get his shit together and go back to work” she spun on her heel to face her husband. “Aren’t you Ian?”  
“Yeah, of course” Ian replied before scurrying away without a second chance at Mickey. Maria didn’t give him the chance to dwell on anything. She looped her arm through Mickey’s and lead him towards the elevators.


	5. Mrs. Gallagher Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria tells Mickey about her past with Ian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to foreword this chapter with a TW. I don't want to go into specifics, but be aware there things that Maria tells Mickey that could be disturbing or triggering to some. But it's also vital to understanding Ian a little more. Read safely friends!

Ian felt good, better than he had in a long time. His mind wasn’t foggy and his body didn’t have that dull ache is usually did. He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he looked good too. His face had some color in it and his eyes shined. For the first time in forever Ian Gallagher was happy. Ian opened the cabinet above the sink and stared at the pill bottles that were lines up neatly on the top shelf. They didn’t offend or scare him like they normally did. He quickly measured out his dosage, the right one and shut the cabinet. Ian still didn’t like the fact that he had to take them though.   
As Ian swallowed the last of his pills he felt a pair of long, slender arms curl around his middle. He looked up to see a face pop up and rest on his shoulder, piercing brown eyes staring at him through the mirror.   
“Feeling good today” It wasn’t a question or even a statement, just a quiet observation.   
“Yeah, best I’ve felt in a long time” Ian replied stiffly. He wasn’t comfortable with the contact but didn’t say anything. There was really only one person he wanted holding onto him like that.   
“I’m coming into work with you today” The arms and face had disappeared.   
“What?” Ian balked, following back into the bedroom. “Maria, surely you’ve got better things to do”  
Maria raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him, hands planted firmly on his hips. “Why can’t a wife visit her husband at his workplace?”  
Ian didn’t have an answer for that. All he knew is that he didn’t want her there. In the same building as Mickey. Oh shit. Mickey. Ian had to warn him. So much for feeling good. 

~~~~~ 

The second the elevator doors shut Maria slumped against the wall and let out a long sigh.   
“Uh…you ok?” Mickey asked hesitantly, watching the woman from the corner of his eye.   
“I’m just tired of being the annoyed wife of a closeted man” Maria replied. “If I didn’t genuinely love the guy I’d’ve been out of this sham of a relationship years ago”  
“Oh” was all Mickey could come up with. He wasn’t expecting that reaction. In fact he had no idea what to expect from Maria Gallagher.   
“Lip told me about the conversation you and he had the other week” Maria said. “That didn’t scare you off?”   
Mickey scoffed. “I don’t scare easily. But I still don’t understand why Lip lets Ian get away with all that shit. I mean, why not just have the guy committed?”  
Maria stiffened as the elevator arrived at the ground floor. Mickey had to jog to keep up with her as she strode towards the street. It took all of about ten seconds for Mickey to realize he’d fucked up.   
“Hey, what the fuck I say?” Mickey called as Maria headed up the street.   
“You really don’t know anything about him, Mickey” Maria sighed. She’d halted so suddenly Mickey almost ran straight into her.   
“Well then, fucking enlighten me!” Mickey said, exasperated. “Lip something like that the other day while he was telling me all about my boss’s mental illness. What the fuck am I missing?”

~~~~~

“They’ve been gone for far too long” Ian said as he paced across his brother’s office.   
“Ian’s it’s barely been an hour” Lip replied, eyeing the redhead warily. Ian had been doing so well these last few months, he seemed stable and happy. He was even taking more of an interest in the business. Lip actually had to come up with a few things for his brother to do. But in a matter of hours all that progress seemed to come crashing down.   
“What if he tells her? What if she wants a divorce? How am I meant to explain that?” Ian was rambling as he continued to pace in front of Lip’s desk. Lip sighed tiredly, not bothering to reply, he knew Ian wasn’t actually talking to him.   
“It’s those fucking meds, I never needed them, they’ve fucked everything up!” Ian turned on his heel and walked out of Lip’s office and towards his own.   
“Ian, what are you doing?” Lip called. He took a few seconds to breathe before following his brother. By the time Lip got to Ian’s office the younger man had ransacked the room.   
“Where the fuck are they?!” Ian shouted. He looked up and spotted Lip, marched straight up to him and poked him in the chest. “You’re hiding them aren’t you?”  
“What are you looking for?” Lip asked, stepping back and rubbing at his chest.   
“Those fucking meds!” Ian shouted in Lip’s face. Lip caught the unfocused, almost-manic look in his brother’s eyes and sighed. When was the last time he’d taken the pills? Ian turned his back on Lip and continued to search his office, things flying everywhere. Lip leaned on the doorframe and just watched his brother as he tried to come up with a solution.   
“Do I need to call someone?” A small voice made Lip jump and he turned to see Jenna standing beside him.   
“No, it’s ok. Just take messages if anyone calls and cancel any meetings I have today” Lip replied, trying to give the girl a smile but it turned out to be more of a grimace. Jenna nodded and headed back to her desk. 

~~~~~

Mickey wandered over to a corner booth that Maria had found, two coffees and a plate of pastries in hand.   
“So Lip told me Ian’s bipolar and has been self-medicating since he was diagnosed” Mickey said conversationally as he put the coffees and pastries down before sliding into the booth.   
Maria nodded as she curled her manicured fingers around the mug. “Thankfully he’s only taking the prescribed meds but, yes, he takes them when he likes and it’s not always the right dosage”   
“But why? Is he in that much denial?” Mickey pressed, taking a sip of his own coffee.   
“It’s become such a vicious circle that I don’t even think he knows why” Maria sighed. She reached for one of the pastries and tore it into small pieces before popping one in her mouth.   
“How’d you find out Ian’s gay? He tell you?” Mickey asked, hoping the slightly different tack would help the story flow.   
“I’ve been in Ian’s life since we were 13, we grew up in the same shit-poor neighbourhood. I didn’t have the most respectable reputation as a kid, I was kinda the neighbourhood…” Maria trailed off, glancing away from Mickey.   
“Slut?” Mickey offered with a chuckle as Maria nodded. “I’ve known a few of those in my life. I grew up shit-poor as well”   
Maria seemed relieved at Mickey’s confession. “Yeah, I’m not proud of it. I was lucky I never got pregnant, had plenty of scares though”   
Mickey nodded as he sipped at his coffee. He’d lost count of the times Mandy had come home in tears, only to confess to him later that she was late and begged him to go to the drug store for her.   
“You were saying?” Mickey prompted after a few minutes of silence.   
“I’d been looking for my next conquest and thought Ian was really cute. Turns out he wasn’t as easy a target as I thought. I cornered him one afternoon in an alley and threw myself at him” Maria cringed at the memory. Her younger self wasn’t a pleasant girl. “Just when I thought I’d won, he pushed me off and bolted. He completely disappeared and his family was worried sick. I heard Lip asking around about Ian and for the first time in my life I felt guilty. I didn’t know why Ian had rejected me but I knew I was the reason he’d taken off” Maria paused and popped another piece of the torn pastry in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. 

“About a week later I was walking home from school and took a shortcut through an abandoned building and found him” Maria’s voice hitched as he reached the hardest part of the story. “There was so much blood, some of it dry and some of it fresh and Ian was lying in the middle of it wearing nothing but a pair of boxers”   
“He’d tried to kill himself?” Mickey whispered, his own voice tight.   
Maria nodded, wiping at the tears in her eyes. “Some of the cuts were pretty deep. I don’t remember how we got to the hospital but his phone rang and I answered it. He was in hospital for almost a week. That was the first time they had him assessed. Once he got out, he came and found me. He told me he was gay but didn’t want anyone to know. I promised to tell anyone if we could hang out”   
“You blackmailed him?” Mickey questioned.   
Maria shook her head. “It wasn’t like that, I was his beard but it never went beyond hand holding and cheek kisses. We were best friends and he was there for me when I needed him”   
“I need to use the bathroom can you order me another coffee while I’m gone?” Maria slid out of the booth and Mickey nodded and watched her go. It was clear this was painful for Maria and Mickey didn’t want to push. But if it helped him understand the man he was falling for, he’d get all the information he could. 

By the time Maria returned Mickey had two more coffees sitting on their table. She smiled gratefully at him as she took her seat.   
“I’m sorry, it’s been awhile since I’ve spoken about that part of my life” She said.   
“I get it, we’ve all got shit we’d rather not talk about” Mickey shrugged. “But can you continue?”  
Maria nodded. “Ian never had an easy time at school, academia didn’t come easy to him and no amount of study helped. He was bullied horribly for it. Everyone expected him to be like Lip and Ian hated it. When we got to high school the bullying continued but this time it was because he was the only virgin in our grade. Rumors were spread and it didn’t take long for Ian’s sexuality to be questioned. The girls were cruel but the boys were worse, they’d jump him at every opportunity. I don’t remember a day of our junior that Ian didn’t have a bruise or cut on his face. He tried fighting back but nothing helped so eventually he withdrew. He’d just go through his days with next to no emotion, it was like talking to a brick wall most of the time” 

“Didn’t his family notice? Why didn’t they help?” Mickey asked. Even though he knew there was nothing he could do now, he felt anger towards people he didn’t even know.   
“Pfft” Maria chuckled humourlessly. “Don’t get me wrong, the Gallagher’s are lovely, welcoming people but they’re incredibly selfish. Ian is the typical middle child. Growing up he didn’t have the responsibilities of his older siblings, he wasn’t the youngest and he wasn’t a troublemaker. He was reliable, responsible and barely said ‘boo’ so he was often forgotten. He dealt with everything silently because he didn’t want to add to the mountain of crap his family was already dealing with”  
“Sounds like a fucking martyr” Mickey said before he could stop himself.   
“In a way he was. He was so used to not getting any attention from his family that when they did focus on him he freaked out and took off” Maria explained. “It took me days to find him and by the time I did he’d scratched his arms raw, muttering about bugs under his skin. He’d been telling me about these voices he’d been hearing. I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but turns out the bullies really did a number on him” Maria chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. She picked up her coffee but didn’t drink it, just held it like it comforted her. 

“Was that the first time he was committed?” Mickey asked, remembering what Lip had said about Ian running away.   
“He’s never actually been committed. His family tried but he bolted. Lip was in the middle of moving here when he found him passed out in an alley a few blocks away. Ian wanted nothing more than to take off again but Lip and I managed to get him to stay put. He went into outpatient treatment and for a few years things seemed to be going well. Lip had set him up with a job and an apartment”  
“How’d you two end up married?” Mickey asked when Maria paused to take a sip of her coffee.   
“He begged me. He was convinced people at the office were talking about him and that it would damage his job if they knew the truth. Eventually I gave in because it secretly made me happy, I’d been having a hard time denying my real feelings for him for a long time. For some reason I thought he’d changed his mind about me and we could be a real couple” Maria shrugged at Mickey’s incredulous look. “I know, I know, I had a stupid schoolgirl crush on a closeted gay man and when he asked me to marry him I got lost in the romance of it all and couldn’t see it for what it really was”  
“So you’re now his wife, why didn’t you convince him to get real about his bipolar?” Mickey questioned.  
“I honestly thought he had. I knew nothing about mental illness and I thought because he seemed happy he was fine. But I’ve now realized I’ve never really seen Ian completely happy” Maria looked at Mickey so intently it made him uncomfortable. “Until now. Until you started working for him”   
“Uh…” Mickey stammered, reddening under her gaze. He didn’t really know what to say.   
“It’s ok, I’m not angry with you” Maria chuckled at Mickey’s expression. “I do want you to keep seeing him though”   
Mickey’s jaw dropped to the table. “And hear I thought you wanted to rip my balls off”   
Maria chuckled. “Hardly, I only put on the annoyed wife act for Ian’s benefit. He doesn’t think I know about you. Thinking you’re his dirty little secret keeps him happy so I’m ok with it”  
“I don’t like being his dirty little secret” Mickey muttered.  
“So what are we going to do about that?” Maria asked, raising a perfect eyebrow with a smirk.


	6. Catharsis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey gives Ian an outlet for his pent up emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was mean to be pure porn but it seems I can't let go of the angst. Hopefully it's not too angsty though. 
> 
> I should probably add a warning for heavier BDSM. This is the heaviest it's been so far. Some may not like it but just remember, it's 100% consensual.

Mickey noticed at instant change in Ian after Maria left. He withdrew and barely spoke to anyone. At first Mickey thought it was a one off but when it went on for almost a week, he knew he had to do something about it. Friday rolled around and Mickey waited until everyone had left the office for the weekend before approaching Ian’s office.   
“We’re heading to the club tonight” Mickey said, perching on the edge of Ian’s desk as the redhead dug around in his drawer.   
Ian smirked but schooled his face into a neutral expression as he straightened up and looked at his Dom. He loved it when Mickey took control like this. “And what if I have plans?”   
Mickey leaned over and pulled Ian towards him by the arms of his wheelie chair. “You do, with me. But first you’re gonna do something for me” Mickey whispered hotly in Ian’s ear.   
Ian’s face heated up at Mickey’s words. “Seriously?”  
“What, not up to the challenge, Gallagher?” Mickey was so close to Ian their noses touched. He connected their lips and they made out for a few minutes.   
“Fuck” Ian panted when Mickey finally pulled away. “Will you come with me?”  
“Fuck no” Mickey chuckled as he pushed Ian’s chair away and stood up. “I’ll meet you at the club, I gotta swing home first”   
“Fucker” Ian muttered lowly. He stood up and rolled the chair under the desk and moved towards the door where Mickey was shrugging on his jacket.   
“Ay, watch it” Mickey scolded, hitting Ian lightly on the shoulder. They walked, hand in hand, towards the elevator. The doors were barely closed before Mickey slammed Ian against the mirrored wall, palming at his crotch.   
“Hands at your side” Mickey ordered when he felt Ian’s hands grip his upper arms.   
Ian closed his eyes and put his hands behind his back as Mickey worked him over. Ian’s dick hardened in his pants as Mickey latched onto his neck, sucking at the sensitive skin. Just when Ian thought he was about to cum in his pants the elevator dinged open and Mickey detached himself from his sub and walked out of the elevator and onto the street.   
By the time Ian had pulled himself together and joined Mickey on the street, the Dom was leaning on the nearest wall with a cigarette hanging from his lips. The image did nothing to help the tightness in Ian’s pants.   
“Touch yourself before I do and you’ll pay” Mickey pushed off the wall and stepped up to Ian.   
“And how would you know if I jacked off?” Ian asked, already knowing the answer. It would be written all over his face and there’s no way he could lie if Mickey asked him outright.   
Mickey didn’t say anything, just looked Ian up and down with a smirk before walking away. Ian’s phone buzzed once Mickey was out of sight. It was a text from his Dom. 

'You have one hour'

~~~~~

Ian stared up at his wrists that were encased in a pair of soft leather cuffs and hooked to a chain above his head. He pulled on them, testing their strength. Yeah, there was no way he was getting out of these on his own. The assistant that had helped set him up smirked as he eyes raked over Ian’s naked body, the only thing covering his modesty was a pair of skimpy lace panties.   
“Touch me and I’ll kick you in the balls” Ian snarled as the assistant reached out a hand.   
“You need to have more respect, boy” the assistant replied, stepping forward.   
“Touch him and I’ll do worse than kick you in the balls” Mickey’s booming voice echoed around the room as the man himself walked into the room. “Fuck off outta here”   
The assistant scurried out of the room without a word, his head bowed. Mickey stopped in front of Ian, looking him over with appreciation.   
“You have incredible timing” Ian breathed and Mickey quirked his eye brow. “Sir”  
“You ok? I should’ve done this myself” Mickey stepped forward and placed his hands on Ian’s hips, pulling him forward so their bodies were flush.   
“I’m fine” Ian stared straight into Mickey’s eyes as the Dom’s hands wandered. “A little chafed though”  
Mickey chuckled. “That so, huh?” He cupped Ian’s groin through the silky material. Ian’s eyes rolled and his head lolled as Mickey continued to massage his cock and balls. “Can’t believe you actually bought these”  
“Well, I didn’t want to get my ass beat” Ian replied with a smile that gave him away instantly.   
“Liar. You love getting your ass beat” Mickey nipped at the sub’s exposed collarbone.   
“I’d rather you fuck my ass” Ian whispered hotly in Mickey’s ear.   
“Oh, don’t worry I’ll be doing both” Mickey replied as he squeezed Ian’s cock and balls tightly before letting go and stepping away completely. Ian whined at the loss of contact as he watched Mickey wander over to the dreaded wooden wardrobe. The Dom made a show of sorting through the wardrobe, looking for the perfect implement.

By the time Mickey returned, a heavy looking flogger in hand, Ian was rock hard and the anticipation was killing him. The skimpy material that covered his groin did nothing to hide his excitement.   
“What the fuck is that?” Ian breathed, eyeing the intimidating black flogger cautiously.   
“’Scuse you?” Mickey questioned. He swung the implement out, letting it hit Ian’s stomach lightly.   
“What the fuck is that, Sir?” Ian repeated.   
Mickey scoffed. “Maybe I should gag you, that dirty fucking mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble” He let the flogger lightly hit Ian a few more times, barely gaining a response from the redhead. 

“Here’s how’s it gonna go. I’m going to push your limits and I want to hear your frustrations. I want you to scream, cry, whatever you need to do” Mickey explained. “It’s been a rough week and you’ve barely reacted. This is your chance. You’re safe here, there’s no judgement and nobody else in the room. Understand?”  
Fuck. Ian wasn’t expecting this when he turned up at the club tonight. Having Maria turn up at work was horrifying and humiliating but the reaction of everyone in the office had been non-existent. Ian didn’t know whether to bolt or confront everyone. Having Mickey at his side was grounding and kept him from doing anything Ian couldn’t take back.   
“Ian, I need your answer” Mickey’s voice broke into Ian’s thoughts.   
“Yeah, I understand Sir” Ian replied, his voice a little shakier than he intended.   
“This is going to last for fifteen minutes and the traffic light system not in affect” Mickey said and Ian nodded. He trusted Mickey immensely and while he knew the strikes were going to hurt, there would be no lasting damage. Mickey put his phone on the floor at Ian’s feet and set the timer. 

From the very first strike Ian screamed and thrashed against his bonds. Mickey stood behind him and was relentless. He struck every part of Ian’s body, his shoulders, his thighs, his calves, were all on fire. Then Mickey moved around to the front and struck Ian’s stomach and legs. It was so brutal that Ian almost forgot why Mickey was doing it in the first place. This was Ian’s chance to get it all out, everything he’d bottled up for the past six days. So he yelled, he swore, he screamed until he was blue in the face and out of breath. Then he did it again. And again. All the while, Mickey continued to move around him, flogging him. Fifteen minutes seemed to fly by and before Ian knew it, the trill of the timer filled the room. Mickey dropped the flogger and reached down for his phone, turning the timer off before pocketing the device and looking at his sub. Ian was red faced and panting, barely able to hold himself upright. Mickey made quick work of the chains and carried the redhead over to the sofa where they curled up together. 

“Thank you” Ian whispered after a while. His breathing was back to normal and the fire had left his skin. He looked up at Mickey and smiled as he reached up and pulled Mickey’s head down so they could kiss. Mickey smiled as their lips met, tongues exploring each other’s mouth.   
“So it was a good idea?” Mickey asked, pulling away slightly to look in Ian’s eyes, searching for something unspoken. He found nothing but adoration and what looked suspiciously like love.   
“Yes, intense but I feel a thousand times better” Ian replied. “Where’d you get the idea?”  
“I…uh…I’ve done it with…others before” Mickey stammered.   
“Oh” Ian considered it for a moment. “How many other subs have you had?”  
“Four” Mickey responded. “But they were a lot more casual”  
“Casual?” Ian questioned. He pulled Mickey’s hands to his chest and traced over the letters on the Dom’s knuckles.   
“I never worked for anyone of them, that’s for sure. We only ever saw each other at the club” Mickey explained. Ian nodded but stayed silent, choosing to focus on Mickey’s fingers so Mickey continued. “None of them lasted very long, we never really clicked so after a few sessions we decided to go our separate ways”   
Ian nodded. He understood, it was the same for him. “I’ve never felt so safe and looked after with a Dom like I do with you. That’s why I didn’t question you about the underwear”  
Mickey chuckled. “And here I was thinking it wandering in a Victoria’s Secret and looking for panties that fit you turned you on”  
“Did a little” Ian whispered so quietly that Mickey almost missed it. “Turned you on and that’s all the really mattered”   
Mickey smiled broadly before turning Ian’s head to face him and leaning down to capture the redhead’s lips in a searing kiss. Mickey never really liked kissing before Ian. He’d always thought it was unnecessary and just a little too intimate. But with Ian it was different. With Ian it was hot and Mickey couldn’t get enough. 

“Go get on that bench” Mickey said when he reluctantly pulled away. Ian whined, pouted a little but obeyed, swinging his hips purposefully as he walked. Mickey couldn’t tear his eyes away and almost forgot what his plans were. Oh right, he wanted to fuck that ass. But first he needed ensure the flogging didn’t leave any lasting marks or damage on Ian’s pale skin. Mickey jumped up from the sofa and wandered back over to the wooden wardrobe.   
“You forgot the lube and condom” Ian commented as Mickey approached him with a bottle of lotion in his hand.   
“Impatient fucker, ain’t you?” Mickey chuckled as he lightly slapped Ian’s thigh. “On your stomach” Ian flipped over and tucked his arms under his head. He didn’t see Mickey slid out of his pants or climb onto the bench and straddle him. He did feel the cold lotion hit his lower back though. Ian hissed, trying to look behind him, at what Mickey was doing.   
“Eyes forward” Mickey ordered and Ian sighed but complied. He sighed again when he felt Mickey’s hands knead the lotion into his skin. Ian was completely pliant under Mickey’s ministrations and if the Dom wasn’t careful, he knew Ian would be asleep within minutes. Wiping his hands on his own thighs, Mickey reached for his pants and pulled the condom and lube from the pockets. Ian yelped in surprise when two lubed fingers grazed over his hole.   
Mickey laughed. “Just making sure you’re awake”   
“Awake, definitely awake” Ian gasped as said fingers entered him. Mickey scissored his fingers and Ian raised his hips to allow his Dom more access. Mickey pumped his cock a few times before rolling on the condom and positioning himself directly over Ian’s ass. The sub moaned with pleasure as Mickey entered him and leaned over to nip at Ian’s shoulder blade. Mickey increased his pace gradually, until he had Ian thrashing under him, limbs flailing as they attempted to find something to grip.   
“So close” Ian groaned, his orgasm sneaking up on him.   
“Not yet” Mickey grunted, his own orgasm eluding him. But not five minutes later Ian was granted permission to cum as Mickey fell over the edge, landing heavily on Ian’s back. After a few minutes Mickey pulled out and braced himself on the bench as he stood on wobbly legs. Wandering back over to the wardrobe, Mickey got rid of the condom and found a container of wet wipes. He cleaned them both up as Ian flipped on his back, a blissed out expression on his face


	7. Flashbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey and Ian have a much needed conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! I know, I know, it's been far too long! I'm not going to bore you with excuses but just know, I've really missed writing and this chapter only took a few hours for me to write. 
> 
> There's a few trigger warnings I need to make clear. Ian talks about his suicide attempt and being bullied through school. There's also a couple of homophobic slurs in the first part.

Ian was running. His feet hit the pavement hard as he willed his legs to move faster. Jeers and laughter rang in his ears as his chasers closed in. Ian chanced a quick glanced over his shoulder and in doing so, missed the large crack in the concrete and face-planted hard. Before Ian managed to pull himself to his feet they were on him, heavy boots connected with his ribs and legs.  
Ian curled into himself in attempt to protect his body from the blows. He screwed his eyes shut and willed the ground to swallow him whole.  
Somehow it worked, soon enough the voices faded and the hits stopped. Ian carefully uncurled himself and opened his eyes. The first thing he became aware of was he was longer lying on the pavement. He wasn’t even outside. He blinked hard as his own bedroom came into focus. The room was dark but there was no mistaking the familiar stench and items strewn around the room. Ian propped himself up on his elbows and, glancing around the room. He was alone but he could hear his family downstairs. Ian swung his legs over the side of his bed and instantly became aware of another strange thing. He wasn’t in pain. Wandering into the bathroom down the hall, Ian inspected his face and body in the cracked mirror. There wasn’t a mark on him. He looked dead tired and other than a couple of pimples in his chin, Ian was completely blemish free. Maybe it was just a bad dream. Ian shrugged at his reflection and headed down stairs. His ears were assaulted by the loud noise of his family and Ian grinned as he watched everyone move between the kitchen and living room. The TV was loud and Liam sat on the sofa with Lip. Carl and Debbie were arguing in the kitchen and Fiona was bustling around cooking dinner. Nothing out of the ordinary. The back door slammed open and Frank stumbled in, making at instant beeline for the fridge. Ian descended the final few steps and was about to say something to Lip when there was a pounding on the front door.  
“Who the fuck is that?” Fiona called from the kitchen. Something in Ian blanched as Lip got up to answer it.  
“Don’t” Ian choked out as he stepped backwards towards the back door. Lip shot his brother a questioning look but still headed for the door.  
“You can’t hide forever faggerella!” A voice shouted.  
“Fuck. Lip don’t let him in” Ian begged, backing up towards the kitchen. Ian watched in horror as Lip opened the door. 

The room dissolved before his eyes and before Ian could register what was happening he was somewhere new. It was dark and smelt like mould. Ian could see three slivers of light ahead of him and he experimentally reached his hand out towards them. His hand collided with hard metal and his location became clear. Ian was in a locker. No doubt it was his own locker. He’d been a tall and broad teenager but it didn’t stop the bullies stuffing him into his own locker countless times. Ian sighed, running a hand down his face. Just as Ian was trying to come up with a way out of his predicament he became aware of voices getting closer. 

“You’re so full of shit man! There’s no way she’d let that dirty fucking dick of yours anywhere near her”  
Ian rolled his eyes. He couldn’t place the voice but no doubt it was one of the dozen of horny teenage boys Ian spent his high school career trying to avoid. 

“Believe what you fuckin’ want man, I’m tellin’ the truth” 

That voice Ian could place. He’d know that voice anywhere and in any circumstance. It wasn’t possible but it was unmistakable. 

“Mickey!” Ian shouted, pounding on the metal door. “Mickey! Please help me!”

~~~~~

Mickey walked onto the office floor, a coffee in each hand. Bringing in coffee wasn’t something they’d spoken about but Mickey did it anyway. It felt like a very personal assistant thing to do.  
“Hey Jenna, Ian in yet?” Mickey asked, pausing at her desk.  
“Yeah, he’s uh, meditating” Jenna glanced towards Ian’s office awkwardly. What else was she going to call walking in on her boss on his knees with his eyes closed?  
“Uh, ok.” Mickey said as Jenna shrugged at him. He was half way down the corridor when it hit him. He knew exactly what Ian was doing. Mickey turned on his heel and headed back to Jenna’s desk.  
“Take these, give them to whoever” Mickey placed the two coffees on Jenna’s desk. “I’m gonna need a couple of interrupted hours with Ian if you can swing it”  
“Uh, yeah. He has no meetings until this afternoon and I’ll put a block on his phone until you come out” Jenna replied, the confusion clear in his voice. Mickey nodded his thanks and turned to head towards Ian’s office.  
“Hey Mickey” Jenna called hesitantly. Mickey turned. “He’s ok, isn’t he?”  
Mickey sighed. It was clear Jenna cared about her boss. “He will be, I’ll make sure of it”

Mickey opened Ian’s office door and closed his eyes for a split second. When he opened them again it felt like he was looking through a lens. It was hard for Mickey to explain how his Dom persona took over but looking down at Ian, who was still in the exact position Jenna had described, he felt in control. It was something Mickey knew Ian needed and something that Mickey relished in. He closed the door and quickly pulled the blinds down to give them a bit of privacy before walking over to the sofa and taking a seat.  
“Ian” When Mickey finally addressed the sub his was voice low but in command. “Come here”  
Ian crawled over to where Mickey was sitting, settling on the floor between Mickey’s open legs. The Dom placed both his hands on either side of Ian’s face and pulled him into a searing kiss. Mickey continued the kiss for a few more minutes before pushing Ian away slightly.  
“Talk to me, what’s this?” Mickey asked softly, running his hands through Ian’s hair.  
Ian leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of Mickey’s hands relax him. They’d only been apart for 48 hours but to Ian it felt like a lifetime, especially after last night’s nightmare.  
“Ian, talk to me” Mickey prompted, his grip tightening for a second.  
“I had a really bad dream last night” Ian started. He looked up at Mickey, holding his gaze for a minute before continuing. “I know you’ve had conversations with Lip and Maria about me”  
“Was that what your dream was about?” Mickey questioned, his blunt fingernails scraping at the redhead’s scalp.  
Ian nodded. “I don’t know why it’s happening now but these dreams are like flashbacks”  
“Last night wasn’t the first one?” Mickey stopped scratching at Ian’s scalp but didn’t remove his hand from the sub’s hair.  
Ian shook his head. “Just the worst”  
“Jesus Ian, why didn’t you tell me?” Mickey sighed, the frustration barely out of his voice.  
“Didn’t want to worry you” Ian said sadly. He scooted as close as he could get, leaning heavily on Mickey’s leg. It didn’t take long before Mickey felt the tingle of Ian’s touch on his calf.  
“Tell me” Mickey resumed his scratching as he spoke.  
They sat there like that for what felt like hours, Mickey scratching lightly at Ian’s scalp and Ian ghosting his fingers under Mickey’s pant leg and speaking of the horrors of his childhood. 

Ian told Mickey of the bullying he’d endured through his later years of elementary school. He told Mickey of how the bullying worsened as he went through junior high and then high school. He told Mickey how he and Maria met. How, as a young teenager, Maria had come onto him. Then came the hard part. Ian blanched at this point, screwing his eyes closed as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Mickey’s hands disappeared from Ian’s scalp, only to reappear under his arms, pulling him up and onto the sofa beside him. Ian curled into Mickey, grabbing onto fistfuls of Mickey’s green dress shirt. With just a little prompting, Ian continued. He told Mickey of the darkest time in his life. Ian told Mickey of how he’d reached his lowest point and after years of torment, he’d lost all focus. He told Mickey of the release he felt as the razor ran over his skin. Mickey’s arms tightened around Ian as the redhead spoke of the lightness he’d felt as the crumbling building went fuzzy around the edges and the blackness took over. 

“Fuck” Mickey’s voice was thick. Ian had been silent for a while now. Mickey looked down to see his sub had fallen asleep. Listening to Ian had hurt. Even though Mickey had heard it all before, somehow the same story sounded a thousand times worse spilling from Ian’s gorgeous pink lips. He ran his knuckles lightly over Ian’s cheek. Mickey knew Ian wasn’t going to be much help to the company today, he just wasn’t in the right headspace. Mickey carefully moved to the side and extracted his phone from his back pocket, being mindful of his sleeping sub. Mickey shot a quick message to Lip, asking to take Ian home. Lip replied with a promise to have a car waiting and the office floor cleared. Fifteen minutes later screeching sound of the fire alarm jolted Ian awake. There was a second when Mickey feared Ian would bolt but the redhead caught sight of his Dom and relaxed, burying his face into Mickey’s shoulder as the fire alarm continued screeching.  
“What the hell was that?” Ian asked once the fire alarm had finally been turned off.  
“Lip’s way of getting us out of here” Mickey chuckled as he stood up.  
“What?” Ian was clearly confused as he let Mickey pull him to his feet.  
“I’m taking you home” Mickey replied as he wandered over to Ian’s desk. The computer hadn’t even been turned on so Mickey grabbed Ian’s bag and then his own before returning to his sub, who hadn’t moved an inch.  
“I’ve got work to do” Ian said, distractedly as he took a step towards his desk. “Meetings”  
“Let Lip take care of that for today” Mickey replied. He pulled Ian towards him. “Let me take care of you”  
Ian didn’t put up any more of a fight, he let Mickey manhandle him into his jacket and lead him to the elevators. Ian didn’t say a word about the empty office floor and leant heavily on Mickey throughout the ride down to the basement. Ian didn’t make a peep as Mickey bundled him into a black car that was waiting for them or the fact that they were driving away from Ian’s townhouse. By the time they arrived at Mickey’s apartment building, Ian was asleep again and Mickey had to get the driver to help him get the lanky redhead upstairs. The driver left without a word, leaving Mickey to undress Ian and get him under the covers in his guest bedroom. Mickey’s stomach rumbled as he closed the bedroom door and padded back into the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the oven – it was barely even 1pm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and I'm not sure exactly how clear it is, but the first part of the chapter is a dream. So that last sentence may or may not be real. I'll let you figure it out =P


	8. Setbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey and Ian spend so much needed time alone together and things go swimmingly...until they don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!

Ian groaned as he came to consciousness. He flipped onto his back and rubbed at his eyes before opening them gingerly. Why did he feel hungover? Why couldn’t he remember how he ended up in this bed? Hang on, where the hell was he? Ian pushed himself onto his elbows and glanced around the darkened room. There wasn’t a single thing in the room that he recognized. Except…Ian pushed himself up further and squinted at the clothing that was slung over the back of a chair in the corner of the room. Ian sighed when his vision wouldn’t focus completely, so he got out of bed and wandered over to the corner. 

Slung over the back of a leather armchair was Ian’s grey suit jacket, dark grey shirt and grey trousers. Picking them up, feeling the fabric between his fingers was like a switch being flipped in Ian’s brain. Suddenly he remembered the dreams, he remembered dropping and getting to work in a daze. He remembered barely acknowledging Jenna as he headed for his office. He remembered being unable to focus on anything but his desperate need to have Mickey with him. MickeyMickeyMickeyMickey. The Dom was all Ian could focus on, all he wanted. So the sub in Ian made a decision, he’d wait for his Dom, surprise him with how much of a good boy he could be. Yeah, that’d make Mickey really happy. Mickey would give Ian the security and praise he desperately needed at that moment. 

Ian pulled on his trousers and shirt, leaving it open, before venturing out of the room. The first thing he noticed was the mouthwatering smell wafting down the hall and the sound of soft and completely out of tune singing. Ian smiled, instantly recognizing the voice. Mickey. He was with Mickey. This was Mickey’s home. Ian padded softly down the hall, stopping at the edge of the carpet. He could see Mickey moving about the kitchen, singing softly along to a source of music Ian couldn’t see. 

“Get over here boy”   
Mickey’s commanding voice made Ian jump. How on earth did he know Ian was there? Ian shrugged off the shirt, letting it drop to the ground before dropping to his knees and crawling over to Mickey. The Dom slowly turned around as Ian approached, watching him intently. Ian sat back on his heels and placed his upturned hands on his spread knees. It was a submissive position Ian was very used to being in but it was the first time he’d put himself in it. 

Mickey stepped towards his sub, surveying the position he’d put himself in. It was clear to the Dom Ian was still deep in his subspace, so Mickey had to take control.  
“You’re wearing pants” It wasn’t a question, more an observation but Ian could hear the command behind it. He quickly shed his trousers, tossing them in the direction of the shirt, before returning to his previous position. Mickey didn’t say a word, instead he placed his hand under Ian’s chin and lifted the redhead to his feet, forcing him to look the Dom in the eye at the same time.   
“How’re you feeling?” Mickey asked, still holding onto Ian’s chin and letting his free hand wander over Ian’s toned chest.   
“Better Sir. Thank you for looking after me” Ian replied.   
“No need to thank me, I’ll always look after you” Mickey released Ian’s chin, only to place the hand on the back of his neck and pull Ian into a kiss. It started out soft but soon became heated and Mickey knew if he didn’t put a stop to it quickly, Ian would be completely naked and ass up in his kitchen. Not that that wasn’t an appealing image but it wasn’t the right time. Right now Mickey wanted to feed Ian and ensure the redhead took his pills on a full stomach.   
“Go hang up those clothes and then sit at the table, we’re gonna eat” Mickey instructed, reluctantly pulling away from Ian. 

While Ian was gone, Mickey served up the steak and veg he’d been cooking and placed the two plates on the table before picking up a plastic bag that he’d left on one of the chairs.   
After he was sure Ian was asleep Mickey had called Lip and asked him to bring over Ian’s meds. They’d sat at the kitchen table for almost an hour as Mickey filled Lip in. At first Mickey was careful about what he told Ian’s older brother, he wasn’t sure how much Lip knew about Ian’s personal life. But as it turned out, Lip knew about Ian’s submissive needs and even knew about the club he’d frequented. Mickey was shocked when Lip revealed he even knew about Mickey’s relationship with Ian. Lip left a gaping Mickey with a ‘look after my brother and I’ll see you at the office on Monday’. 

Ian walked back into kitchen and sat across from Mickey at the table. His stomach rumbled at the sight of the food.   
“Where’d you get those?” Ian asked, nodding at the orange pill bottles that sat next to his water glass.   
“Your brother stopped by” Mickey replied. “We talked”  
Ian’s head snapped up and he swore at his Dom. “You fucking talked about me with my brother?”  
“Ay, enough” Mickey’s tone was commanding and Ian dropped his head. “Ian, you need to take the pills properly” Mickey knew this was dangerous territory, Ian could very well tell him to go fuck himself and take off. But he also knew he needed to take the chance. He wanted Ian to be healthy. Fuck him for caring. They were silent for a while, Ian eyeing the orange bottles with contempt. It took about fifteen minutes but Ian did measure out his dosage and take the pills, showing Mickey his empty mouth along with the bird. Mickey chuckled as he picked up the cutlery and cutting into his steak. He’d deal with Ian’s attitude later.   
~~~~~  
Ian mewled as Mickey worked him over. Ian had been in the same position for the past hour, face down, ass up on Mickey’s bed with three of Mickey’s fingers, knuckles deep, in his ass. Ian was in heaven. Mickey punched at his prostate for what felt like the millionth time and Ian screamed into the gag that was buckled around his head.   
“So fucking beautiful” Mickey muttered, leaning over and sinking his teeth into the pale flesh of Ian’s ass. Ian squealed at the sharp pain of the bite.  
“Please Sir, I’m so close” Ian whined around the gag. The words came out garbled and barely audible but Ian knew Mickey heard him. The Dom responded by adding a fourth finger and landing a sharp slap on Ian’s ass. Mickey reached under Ian and gripped his rock hard and leaking cock, tugging it a few times. Ian didn’t think he could hold on much longer. He was overstimulated, every ending in his body was on fire and it was all so incredibly overwhelming. But in the best way possible.  
“Fuuuccckkk” Ian moaned. “Pleeease”   
Then, without warning, everything stopped. Mickey’s fingers disappeared from his ass and Ian could no longer feel his Dom’s body heat anywhere.   
“Don’t move” Mickey said as Ian turned his head, looking for him. For what felt like an eternity, Mickey moved about the room behind Ian. The sub yelped at the unexpected cold sensation dripping over his hole as Mickey lathered the entrance with lube. He then lined up a vibrator and pushed it into Ian’s ass. It was larger than anything they’d used before but with the amount of lube Mickey had used and the prep with his fingers, the toy slid in easily. Ian was babbling incoherently as Mickey fucked him with it.   
“You doin’ ok over there?” Mickey chuckled as he pushed the vibrator flush against Ian’s ass.   
“Holy fuuucccckkk!” Ian screamed as Mickey picked up the small box remote and flipped it onto the first setting. The toy buzzed away in Ian’s ass as Mickey moved around to his sub’s head, pulling down his pants as he went.   
“Let’s see if you can concentrate on what’s in your mouth while there’s a buzzing in your ass” Mickey said as he unbuckled the gag and tossed it aside. Ian opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue as Mickey slid his rock hard dick between his lips. The second his dick hit the back of Ian’s throat Mickey knew he wouldn’t last long. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the attention Ian lavished on his dick, the feel of his sub’s tongue gliding across the head and the tickle of his breath through his pubic hair. 

“You can cum” Mickey panted as he pulled from Ian’s mouth. It was all the direction Ian needed. The release was overwhelming, the hours of denial exploded into an intense orgasm that left Ian feeling spent. He was barely aware of Mickey gently stretching out his limbs and flipping him on his back. He grimaced and tried to turn away when Mickey cleaned him up.   
“C’mere” Mickey coaxed Ian towards him and Ian all but collapsed onto top of his Dom. Within minutes the pair were asleep. 

~~~~~

The following morning Mickey woke to the smell of bacon wafting through his apartment. He automatically reached out for Ian, only to find empty sheets. After pulling himself out of bed and stepping into a pair of discarded boxers, Mickey padded down the hall and into the kitchen.   
Ian had his back to Mickey, so wasn’t aware of his Dom’s arrival. Mickey bit the inside of his cheek at the sight that greeted him. Ian was butt naked and swaying to soft music as he cooked.   
“Mornin’” Mickey chuckled lightly when Ian jumped out of his skin.   
“I…I didn’t hear you Sir” Ian stammered as Mickey gripped the curve of Ian’s ass, his finger slipping between his cheeks.   
“I thought I was going to wake up to you” Mickey said lowly into Ian’s ear, his words punctuated with a finger grazing over Ian’s hole.   
“I…I wanted to surprise you with breakfast” Ian struggled to get the words out. “I should’ve stayed in bed with you. I’m sorry”  
“Ian it’s ok, I’m not mad at you. I just missed you is all” Mickey removed his finger and ran his hand up Ian’s back.   
Ian smiled, clearly relieved Mickey wasn’t really angry or upset with him. “Wanna eat? This is ready”   
“Coffee first” Mickey said, reaching towards the coffee machine, only to have Ian swat his hand away. “Go sit down, I’ll get it”  
“Ian, I don’t expect you to wait on me. I can get my own damn coffee” Mickey said, still trying to reach around the giant of a man in front of him.   
“Mickey” Ian stared into the Dom’s blue orbs as he caught the older man’s wrist. “Let me look after you” The sub put his hands on Mickey’s shoulders and steered the shorter man over to the dining table before returning to the kitchen to serve up breakfast. Mickey shook his head, a goofy, completely enamored smile on his face. Mickey was 100% gone on this guy. 

Ian wandered over a couple minutes later with a cup of coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs. He put them both in front of Mickey before disappearing, only to reappear seconds later with his own meal and two sets of cutlery. He sat at the table and handed one of the cutlery sets to Mickey before staring down at his cooling breakfast.   
“You can eat” Mickey said as he sipped his coffee. 

Mickey tried not to sound annoyed but having to give Ian permission to pretty much everything was getting a little old. He loved the submissive side of Ian in the bedroom but Mickey shed his Dom persona when he wasn’t in the bedroom. He’d be lying if he didn’t expect Ian to do the same. But living together for the last few days seemed to have the opposite effect on Ian. The man seemed more submissive than ever and Mickey didn’t really know how to handle it.   
At first it was enjoyable to have someone doing his laundry and keep the apartment clean. But Mickey found himself bored after the second day. He was no domestic god, by any means but Mickey knew his way around a vacuum and a washing machine. Now he found Ian doing the laundry and housekeeping on a daily basis. 

“I’m sorry” Ian whispered. He put his knife and fork down and pushed away his half-eaten breakfast.   
“What for?” Mickey asked, genuinely confused.   
“You don’t like having me here” Ian said. “I’m too much work”  
“What? Where the fuck is this coming from?” Mickey spluttered, suddenly not hungry.   
“I can hear it in your voice when you tell me to do something” Ian replied. He stood up and took his plate into the kitchen. Mickey was a little dumbfounded. Maybe he was a more transparent than he thought.   
“Ian, I do like having you here” Mickey followed Ian, dumping his plate in the sink as well. “It’s just been an adjustment. I’m not used to having a sub outside the bedroom”   
“So you don’t want me to leave?” Ian’s words broke Mickey’s heart. The redhead sounded so young and afraid leaning against the kitchen counter, curling into himself protectively.   
“Absolutely not” Mickey responded, crowding up against Ian and pulling his arms out wide. “But I do want to set some ground rules. Maybe they’ll help you find your feet”  
“Ok” Ian nodded, a smile creeping onto his face. “What did you have in mind?”  
“If you want to do something, just do it. You don’t need permission” Mickey put his hands on Ian’s hips, pulling their groins together.   
“And…?” Ian prompted, wrapping his arms around Mickey’s neck with a sly smile.   
“You gotta let me do my own fucking laundry” Mickey muttered. Ian cackled loudly, throwing his head back. Mickey quickly joined him before tackling the fucker to the floor and pining him there.   
~~~~~

It had been the perfect few days, despite that little bump. In fact, the little bump turned out to be a good thing. While Ian was still insisting to many things for Mickey, he wasn’t averse to Mickey helping out. It was oddly domestic and Mickey loved it.   
It was early Sunday afternoon and Mickey and Ian were laying, tangled together completely blissed out. They both knew they’d have to burst their little bubble by heading back to work tomorrow but right now both Mickey and Ian just basked in each other’s company. That is until Mickey said something that shattered everything. 

"I love you" Mickey breathed, carding his fingers through Ian's damp hair. Ian tensed under the touch before pulling away altogether and sitting on the edge of the bed.   
"Mick" he sighed.  
"What? You'd rather I fucking lie?" Mickey asked, the hurt clear in his voice.   
"I rather you not say it at all" Ian replied quietly. "I am married"  
"And who's fault is that?" Mickey scoffed. "Nobody asked you to marry a fucking woman"   
"It's not that simple" Ian muttered, staring at the floor.   
"Fuck yes it is. You're lying to your wife but worse, you're lying to yourself" Mickey accused. There was a tense few minutes before Mickey made a decision. "I can't do this anymore. I'm sick of being your dirty little secret"  
"You're not" Ian spluttered as he watched Mickey get out of bed and pull on his clothes. "Where're you going?"  
"Out and I don't want you to be here when I get back" Mickey said tersely.  
"Sir please..." Ian tried.  
"No! I'm sick of this shit!" Mickey exploded. "I want to be with you and not as your fucking side piece! But you can't get past some stupid block in your brain. You realise that everyone at work knows you're gay, right? They know you're bipolar & nobody gives a shit! It's all in your head and it always has been!"  
Mickey stormed out into the living area, picking up his phone, cigarettes and wallet as he headed for the door. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Mickey knew he’d probably just blew everything. But at the same time he was sick of pussy footing around Ian and ignoring the reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...


	9. Mickey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey's POV post break up.

There was an insistent, loud shrill echoing through Mickey’s apartment. The man in question was face down and fully clothed on his bed, groaning as his hand batted around blindly looking for his phone.   
“Fuck” Mickey muttered, flipping onto his back and staring up at the too-bright screen. It was 10am on Tuesday morning and the sunlight glared into the room. Before Mickey could so much as sit up his phone rang again, somehow managing to sound angrier than before.   
“Hello?” Mickey’s voice was gravely and his throat felt like sandpaper.   
“Where the fuck are you Milkovich?” Lip’s voice loudly ranted in his ear. “I was ready to call in a missing person’s report!”  
“Jesus, calm down. I’m here, I’m alive” Mickey sat up, rubbing his eyes.   
“Doesn’t sound like it. You want to explain your absence?” Lip softened his voice.   
“Not over the phone, can I come in after hours?” Mickey asked. It had been two days and it was time to face the music.   
“Are you ok? Is this about Ian? I haven’t heard from him since the weekend” Lip questioned.   
“I’ll explain later, what time are you gonna be there til?” Mickey stood up and padded towards his bathroom.   
“I’ll be here until 8pm” Lip replied when it became clear Mickey wasn’t going to offer any other information. “Just tell me one thing”  
“What?” Mickey sighed, staring at his reflection. Christ, he looked like shit.   
“Are you ok?” Lip’s question threw Mickey completely. He was so sure his boss was going to ask about Ian.   
“Not really” Mickey answered before quickly hanging up. 

After spending the day sobering up, which included a huge greasy meal and a long hot shower, Mickey headed into the office at 7pm. He was grateful to walk into onto an empty floor, the only light coming from Lip’s office.   
“Hey” Mickey greeted, leaning heavily on the doorframe. Even though he felt one hundred times better than he did when they last spoke, Mickey was still dead tired. He could very easily crawl into bed and not surface for a good week.   
“You look like shit” Lip observed when he looked up at Mickey over his computer screen. “Sit down, talk to me”   
Mickey sighed but obeyed, throwing himself onto the overstuffed sofa by the window. They were silent for a while, the only noise was Lip tapping away on the keyboard.   
“Ok, I’m done. You gonna tell me what happened to make you disappear for two days?” Lip said as he shut his computer down and wandered over to Mickey and perched on the arm of the sofa.   
“Ian and I broke up” Mickey muttered. “Told him I loved him and he scoffed, telling me he didn’t want to hear it”   
“Jesus, I’m sorry Mickey” Lip was shocked and didn’t really know what to say beyond that.   
Mickey shrugged. “I should’ve seen it coming, he’s a fucking closet-case”   
“Hey, that’s my brother you’re talking about. Anyway, you knew what you were getting yourself into with Ian. I told you about him” Lip replied.   
“I know, I know. It had been too fucking perfect and I had to go ruin it by declaring something I knew he didn’t feel” Mickey rolled his eyes.   
“Did he say he doesn’t love you?” Lip asked. He shoved at Mickey’s leg. The other man got the message and sat up, backing up against the opposite end of the sofa.   
Mickey shook his head. “But he didn’t say it back. His exact words were ‘I’d rather you didn’t say it, I am married’”  
“I didn’t realise he was still so hung up on that stuff” Lip confessed. “I thought he’d been making progress since you’ve been in the picture”   
“He’s fine when it’s just the two of us, almost feels like we’re a normal couple” Mickey replied sadly. Lip could tell it was eating Mickey up and he hated that his own brother was the cause. But he was also worried about Ian. What if this setback took Ian all the way back to square one? What if this was the thing to send Ian off the deep end completely?  
“Do you know where Ian is now?” Lip asked.   
Mickey shook his head. “Told him to get out and haven’t heard from him since”  
“Fucking hell Mickey, he could be laying in a ditch somewhere!” Lip exclaimed, the accusation clear in his voice.   
“Oh I’m sorry, your ass of a brother just told me he didn’t love me. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight!” Mickey shot back.   
“But he didn’t actually say that did he?!” Lip was on his feet and pacing in front of Mickey. “He’s fucking scared, Mickey, he’s always been scared!”  
Mickey could feel the rage boiling inside of him. He was just as scared as Ian was! Did Lip really think it was easy for him to blurt out how he was fucking feeling like that?  
“He’s not the only one!” Mickey exploded. He stood up and stormed out of Lip’s office towards Ian’s. He didn’t have many things left in the office, just a coffee mug and a couple of files. He gathered the merge items and turned back, only to slam right into Lip.   
“What the fuck are you doing, Milkovich?” Lip demanded.   
“Getting the fuck out of here! Ian doesn’t want anything to do with me, why should I still work for him?” Mickey pushed passed Lip and headed for the elevator.   
“C’mon Mickey, don’t give up on him!” Lip pleaded, hot on Mickey’s heels.   
“Don’t you fucking dare!” Mickey whipped around and glared at Lip. “Everyone’s so fucking worried about Ian, what about me, huh? You know nothing about me and how I grew up” Mickey took a deep, shaky breath and punched the elevator call button. Lip and Mickey stared at the illuminated numbers as they crawled up to the thirteenth floor.   
“And for the record, telling Ian I love him didn’t just roll off my damn tongue. If you or he knew anything about me you’d both know that. It’s taken a fuck load of shit for me to get to where I am today and I’m not letting anyone shit on that” Mickey spat, shoving the elevator door open again when it started to close.   
“Mickey” Lip sighed, stepping forward to hold the door open. Lip didn’t realise until that moment how much he’d been taking his employee for granted. Mickey had been so good for Ian, on both a professional and personal level. But Lip never really stopped to think about Mickey’s past. He knew Mickey had grown up Southside and was surprised to find out that the three of them had actually grown up in the same neighbourhood. Mickey glared at his ex-boss, daring him to say something but Lip just sighed and ran a hand through his hair before stepping back and releasing the elevator door. 

More than anything Mickey was angry with himself for letting his relationship with Ian get as far as it did. He was angry at himself for opening up when he knew he was dealing with someone who wasn’t as open. But Ian made him feel things he’d never felt before. Being with Ian was exhilarating, felt like flying. But the higher one flies, the further they have to fall. The more they have to lose. And Mickey felt like he’d just lost the best part of his life.


	10. Ian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian's POV post break up.

Ian stared at the space that Mickey had so quickly vacated. He hadn’t expected Mickey to react like that, Ian thought Mickey knew where they stood, how complicated things were for Ian. But obviously not. It’s not like Ian didn’t feel like that, he just couldn’t. It was too painful, too dangerous.   
With a heavy sadness, Ian gathered his things, dressed and left Mickey’s apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him. Part of him wanted to stick around until Mickey returned but the submissive in him was screaming at him not to defy his Dom. Ian left and spent the next several hours roaming the streets aimlessly. 

Ian hated how much he’d hurt Mickey. It had never been his intention to get involved with him, let alone fall for him. But there was something about Mickey that Ian couldn’t ignore. He felt it during their first session at the club and it only got stronger the more time they spent together. It scared Ian to death because it wasn’t something he was familiar with. He was married to Maria and their connection wasn’t the same. He wanted to be with Mickey all the time and the submissive in him preened every time he pleased the older man. But then, just as everything was going well, Ian’s defective brain had to pipe up and fuck it up. 

The sun was almost gone when Ian finally decided to head home. It was the last place he wanted to be but he had nowhere else to go.   
“Thought you were staying with Mickey” Maria said when Ian walked into their shared house. He noted that she quickly wrapped her robe around her body the second she saw him.   
“Well I’m here now” Ian shrugged, not really wanting to explain himself. He was more than happy to just head straight to bed.   
“Uh, Ian there’s something I need to tell you” Maria started but a voice called her name from the bedroom.   
“Who the fuck is that?” Ian growled, heading towards the voice. Maria stepped into his path, blocking him. Her face was hard but her eyes were soft. Ian could tell there was something she was feeling guilty about keeping from him.   
“I was going to tell you but I haven’t seen you for almost a week” Maria explained weakly. They both knew she could’ve called.   
“Tell me what?” Ian glared down at her, crowding her space. But Maria wasn’t intimated by him, she never had been. Instead, she stepped around him and reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a yellow envelope.   
“I’m going to tell him to leave and then we need to sit down and talk” Maria handed Ian the envelope before heading back into her bedroom. Ian opened the envelope and gaped at the papers. 

Fucking divorce papers. 

“Are you kidding me?” Ian scoffed once Maria returned and her beau was gone. Ian sat at the kitchen table with the documents spread out in front of him.   
“This has been a long time coming, Ian” Maria replied simply. It was going to be a difficult conversation and Maria had been able to make up excuses for weeks. But with Ian’s unexpected reappearance, it was time.   
“Bullshit, you’ve never mentioned it to me” Ian leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. Maria pulled out a chair opposite him and folded her legs under herself. 

“I have, but you’ve always brushed it off. Ian, it’s time we did this” Maria explained. “I’ve been seeing Henry for almost a year now and if he were to propose I want to be able to say yes”  
“What about me? I thought you loved me” Ian tried for angry but his voice was full of hurt.   
“I married you because you didn’t want to admit you were –” Maria started.   
“Don’t fucking say it” Ian interrupted harshly.   
Maria sighed. She thought he’d made more progress than this. “Then what do you call it, your relationship with Mickey?”   
“Our relationship is strictly professional” Ian lied and Maria sighed, shaking her head slightly.   
“Ian, I know he’s in love with you” Maria said softly. “Why can’t you admit it to yourself?”  
“Because it’ll ruin everything!” Ian exploded, standing up so fast his chair hit the ground with a thud.   
“No it won’t, nobody cares! It’s not like high school anymore” Maria implored, completely unfazed by Ian’s outburst. “I know it was hard for you, I was there remember? But isn’t it time to move on? Aren’t you sick of living in the past?”

Ian put his hands in his hair, pulling hard at the strands as he screamed in frustration. He knew Maria was right, it had been a long time and he was sick of living in the past. She made it sound some damn simple. Just move on, forget about everything. As if that’d work. He hated that his brain wouldn’t let him. Every time he thought he was happy his stupid fucking brain would remind him of all the shit from the past. Nightmares of vicious words, angry faces and attacks still plagued him. But having Mickey in his life was calming, the older man silenced the chaos. Mickey was antidote Ian desperately needed in his life. So why couldn’t Ian admit the truth to himself? It was a simple two words but they weren’t an easy pair. 

“Hey” Maria’s gentle voice pulled Ian from his thoughts. She gripped his wrists and pulled them from his hair. It was only when she reached up and wiped at his face that Ian realised he was crying.   
“I’m sorry” Ian whispered sadly. “I never meant to put you through my shit”   
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be” Maria reassured him. “I do love you, I’m just not in love with you”   
“Were you ever?” Ian asked softly.   
“Were you?” Maria countered. She quirked her eyebrow and smirked, punching Ian lightly in the arm. Ian barely managed a smile and Maria sighed.   
“You need to sort your head out” Maria said softly, fisting the soft material of Ian’s tee. She looked at him with sad eyes. She wrapped her arms around his middle and pulled him close. “You’re my best friend Ian and I just want you to be happy. You deserve that” 

Maria was the best friend Ian ever had and it had always scared him how well she knew him. She’d put up with a lot from Ian over the years but she had always been there. It didn’t matter that they’d stopped sleeping in the same bed. It didn’t matter that Ian had avoided her for weeks. Maria would always be there for him, Ian knew that. 

“I’m sorry” Ian repeated, his eyes brimming with tears as he buried his face in her shoulder. “Do you still have that doctor’s card?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry it WILL get better, I'm all about happy endings ;)


	11. Reconnecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian works hard and Mickey forgives him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second last chapter folks! I promise the final one will be lighter and smut filled!

Mickey was miserable. It had been almost three months since he stormed out on Ian and he hadn’t heard a single word from the redhead. Not a single one. It stung to think that Ian cared so little. Ok, that was bullshit. It fucking hurt like a bitch that Ian seemed to care so little.   
It had also been three months since he’d quit his job and it had never occurred to him to look for another. Luckily, Mickey was financially stable and could afford to take some time off.   
During that time Mickey had searched for a way to let out his frustrations. He’d returned to the club and requested subs who were masochists. Mickey had never considered himself a sadist, but being able to take as whip, cane or flogger to a naked sub’s back was his new favourite stress reliever. The subs were responsive and hard and expected nothing but a decent flogging. There was no sex involved, Mickey just wasn’t interested in getting off or having to get someone else off. Some of the subs complained about blue balls but Mickey just kneed them in the groin before leaving, commenting on how they now had black and blue balls.   
When Mickey did jack off his head was filled with images of his favourite redhead and their various encounters. He hated that he missed Ian like he did. Mickey thought he should still be angry with Ian but as time passed, Mickey’s anger dissipated until he was left with a sadness like he’d never felt. 

More than once Mickey found himself drunk and staring at his phone as his finger hovered over Ian’s contact. He knew it was pathetic but Mickey could never bring himself to actually call.   
So when Mickey received a call from an unknown number, he was surprised to say the least.

~~~~~

It had been a long, painful three months for Ian. He’d lost count of the number of pill cocktails he’d been on and the number of group therapy sessions he’d attended. But it had all been worth it in the end. As he sat in the circle of his latest group session, listening to a mousy petite girl tearily tell the story of her new scars, Ian had the sudden urge to call Mickey. It wasn’t the first time he’d considered calling his ex but it was the first time he wasn’t filled with fear at the possibility. At the end of the group session Ian made a beeline for his personal therapist’s office.   
“Ian, how’re you today?” The woman looked up when he knocked on the open door.   
“Good” Ian nodded. Suddenly he felt stuck at the door. “Um, Katie, I have a question”  
“Ok, come in and take a seat” Katie picked up on her patient’s anxiety.   
Ian sat on the leather chair opposite Katie and picked at his nails. It was barely twenty minutes ago that he’d made the decision but now that he was sitting in Katie’s office, the anxiety and fear returned.   
“Talk to me Ian, what’s going on?” Katie prompted.   
“I want to call Mickey” Ian mumbled.   
“Ok, well that can be arranged” Katie replied. “Why now?”  
“I feel good today, the best I’ve felt so far. My head’s clear and I want to try reaching out to him” Ian explained. “I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately”  
“Ok then, how about you call him now?” Katie suggested. “If you think it over too much you’ll no doubt talk yourself out of it. Do you remember his number?”  
“Of course” Ian said. It was one of the few numbers he’ll never forget. Katie pushed her desk phone towards him before standing up.   
“I’ll give you some privacy” she said as she wandered out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

Ian dialled Mickey’s number and hung up four times before he let the call connect. One ring, two ring, three, four five. The phone rang seven times before Mickey finally picked up.   
“Hello?”  
“Hey Mick”   
“Gallagher? Where the hell are you?”

By the time Ian hung up, almost two hours later, he felt lighter and more optimistic than ever. Mickey was understandably angry but when Ian explained where he was, the older man softened. Ian apologised so much that Mickey ended up telling him to shut the fuck up, causing the redhead to laugh for a solid ten minutes. They ended the phone call with Ian promising he’d call again soon. 

“Sorry I took so long” Ian said when he found Katie sitting in the nurse’s office.   
“Don’t worry about it, Ian” Katie smiled brightly. “How about we go for a walk?”  
Ian nodded and followed his therapist through the building and out onto the well-kept grounds. They walked in silence for a while, Ian soaking up the sun rays on the warm, cloudless day. They were surrounded by people, there was a game of basketball happening down the hill and there was a couple of girls sitting in a circle making daisy chains.   
“You seem happy” Katie observed, watching him from the corner of her eye.   
“Yeah, talking to Mickey really helped. We got a lot off our chests and I think we’re gonna be able to move forward” Ian replied.   
“I’m really happy for you Ian, you’ve come a long way” Katie smiled at him, squeezing his arm. “Have you considered leaving yet?”   
Ian blanched. Leaving up completely up to him at this point, he’d gone well past his compulsory 30 day admittance. Even though he’d arrived voluntarily, a minimum of 30 days was still required.  
“I’m not ready” Ian whispered, finding a sudden interest in his fingers.   
“Your meds are stable, you’ve accepted your illness and you’ve got almost 100 hours of therapy under your belt. To be perfectly honest, there’s nothing you can do here that you can’t do at home” Katie countered with perfect logic.   
“I’m scared” Ian admitted, wringing his fingers tighter now. “I don’t think I can do it on my own”  
“That’s perfectly normal but you won’t be alone, Ian. We do have a process before you can actually be released but if you want we can get it started in coming weeks” Katie replied. 

~~~~~

It was almost a month later that Ian was packing up his room. As it turned out the hospital’s release program focused on helping Ian reintegrate back into his old life. Katie got in contact with Lip and explained the situation, the older Gallagher promising to do everything he could to assist Ian. The redhead still refused to let anyone visit but relented when Mickey begged to let Ian pick him up. The pair were closer than ever, having spent the last four weeks talking and texting daily. Ian was continuously blown away by Mickey’s capacity to forgive him. They were open and communicating like never before and as Ian slung his bag over his shoulder he couldn’t wait to try again with the Dom.   
“Got everything, Ian?” Katie asked, knocking softly on his open door.   
“Yeah I think so, I’ve double and triple checked everywhere” Ian chuckled.  
“If we find anything we’ll give you a call” Katie smiled. “When’s your first outpatient therapy session?” The pair headed out of the room and towards the main entrance.   
“A week from Thursday” Ian replied. He glanced around the reception area and felt a pang of anxiety when he couldn’t locate Mickey. Had the older man forgotten? What if he’d changed his mind? Just as Ian’s anxiety began to rise a door to his left swung open and the Dom walked out, wringing his hands. Mickey looked up, his eyes widened and a bright smile spread across his face when he spotted Ian standing with Katie. Ian breathed a sigh of relief and marched straight over to him, planting a wet kiss on his lips.   
“I missed you” Ian breathed when they finally pulled apart.   
“I can see” Mickey chuckled. “I missed you too Firecrotch. You ready to go?”  
“Fuck yes” Ian said. He gripped Mickey’s hand as he signed the final paperwork and bade goodbye to Katie.   
“How do you want to do this?” Mickey asked once they were sitting in his car.   
“I want to try again Sir” Ian replied with a smile. Mickey put his sunglasses on his face with a huge grin before pulling out of the carpark.


	12. The Christmas Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian organises the office Christmas party with a couple of surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter literally ran away from me. But I'm really happy with how it turned out, mistakes and all.

Ian pulled at his bonds as he tried to determine exactly were Mickey was. He couldn’t see anything due the blindfold over his eyes and he couldn’t say anything due to the red ball gag strapped to his head. Suddenly the bed dipped and Ian jumped out of his skin when a cold substance hit his naked stomach.   
“Sorry, it’s a bit cold” Mickey chuckled as he continued to drip the substance over Ian’s body.   
“Fucker” Ian mumbled around the gag. “What is it?”  
“Can’t you smell it?” Mickey questioned. He dripped the substance over his fingers and brushed over Ian’s lips. Ian licked at Mickey’s fingers the best he could around the gag. He rolled his eyes behind the blindfold. He should’ve known when Mickey mentioned their play would get a little sticky. Mickey’s favourite sticky substance had always been maple syrup. Ian heard Mickey put the bottle down on the bedside table and then he gasped as Mickey’s tongue made contact with his hip. 

Mickey’s tongue lapped at Ian’s sticky, syrup covered skin, travelling from the redhead’s hip, up to his nipples and then to the sensitive spot behind Ian’s ear. Ian moaned in pleasure when Mickey unbuckled the gag and connected their lips. The kiss was sticky but full of passion and heat.   
“If that shit goes anywhere near my ass, I swear to God” Ian muttered as Mickey bit as his lower lip.   
“What’re you gonna do, Gallagher?” Mickey taunted. His fingers travelled down Ian’s taut stomach and between his legs.   
“Mickey” Ian warned but there was no real heat behind his words.   
“Who’s in charge here?” Mickey asked. He reached up and removed the blindfold with his free hand.   
Ian rolled his eyes. “You are”  
“Do you trust me?” Mickey asked earnestly. He shifted so he was leaning on his elbow and level with Ian’s face.   
“Of course” Ian replied without a second of hesitation.   
“Then you’d know I’d never do anything I know you don’t like” Mickey said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Tell me to continue Ian, I’m not going any further without your go ahead”   
Ian matched Mickey’s grin as he felt his Dom’s feather touch travel towards his navel. “Go on”  
Mickey darted up and kissed Ian quickly before moving down the redhead’s body with his tongue. Two of the Dom’s fingers breached Ian’s hole and the sub mewled, arching into the touch. Mickey finger fucked his sub for a few minutes, wrapping his free hand around Ian’s rock hard, leaking cock.   
“You’re not allowed to come until I say” Mickey said and Ian positively whined. Seconds later Mickey positioned himself between Ian’s open legs, nipping and kissing at his inner thighs. Ian yelped and arched higher when Mickey’s tongue dipped between his fingers and into Ian’s ass.   
“Tasty fucking hole” Mickey growled as he pulled out his fingers and replaced them with his tongue in one swift movement. Ian squirmed and panted, struggling against his bonds as Mickey went to town.   
“Please Sir, gonna come” Ian begged. He could feel the build-up in the base of his balls. It was an intensity he hadn’t felt in a very long time.   
“Not yet” Mickey said without relenting. In fact, he upped the ante by pumping Ian’s cock.   
Ian didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to hold on. His entire body was on fire, every nerve ending exposed. Just when Ian thought he was about to disobey his Dom, everything stopped. Mickey’s fingers and tongue left Ian’s body, reducing the redhead to a sobbing, panting mess.   
“You’re not getting off before I do shithead” Mickey chuckled as he stalked over Ian’s pliant body. “But I’ll give your ass a rest for now” Mickey hovered over Ian’s face and guided his hard cock into Ian’s mouth. The redhead didn’t get a chance to adjust, Mickey gripped his hair hard and face-fucked the sub hard. Ian was choking and out of breath by the time Mickey shot down his throat. Within seconds Mickey was back between Ian’s legs with his fingers entering his hole.   
“You can come whenever you want” Mickey told him. Ian could barely nod as Mickey wrapped his free hand around his throbbing cock and fell into a rhythm with his fingers.   
“Fuuucccckkk!” Ian screamed as he spurted all over Mickey’s hand. The intensity of the orgasm was something Ian had never felt. It took a while for Ian to come down, so much so, he wasn’t aware of Mickey removing his hands and disappearing, only to reappear seconds later with a warm cloth to clean them both up. Mickey undid the binds before climbing back onto the bed and pulling Ian close.   
“The sheets are gross” Ian complained as he rolled into particularly sticky spot.  
“You’re more than welcome to get up and change them” Mickey’s voice was already thick with sleep and Ian knew even if he wanted to get up Mickey would be far from cooperative. Instead, Ian snuggled down against his Dom and closed his eyes. 

Almost four months had passed since Ian left the hospital. Mickey helped him move his belongings out of the house he and Maria had shared and Ian finally signed the divorce papers. It didn’t change anything between him and Maria, they were still friends. Everything was split amicably and Maria agreed to sell the house instead of staying in it without Ian.  
“You ok?” Mickey asked as he carried the final box to the car. Ian was standing on the pavement, staring up at the house pensively.   
“Yeah, just thinkin’” Ian smiled at Mickey but the older man could see something behind his eyes.   
“Talk to me” Mickey whispered. He stepped up to Ian and hesitantly put his hands on his forearms. Even though they were now officially together, Ian was yet to actually say the words. It hurt Mickey a little but then Ian reminded him how much he loved the older man by letting Mickey pound him stupid every single night.   
“It’s stupid” Ian muttered, wiping roughly at his wet eyes. He flashed Mickey another quick smile before heading for the car.   
“You’re allowed to be sad, Ian. You and Maria did share a life together” Mickey said as he started the engine and pulled into the street.   
“But it was a lie and I feel like shit that I dragged her through that for so long” Ian said. “It wasn’t fair on her”  
“You’re right, it was a shitty move on your part but you got your shit together and set her free. It’s time you did the same for yourself” Mickey replied.   
“Oh, look at you Mr. Philosopher!” Ian teased. “When’d you get so wise?”  
“Ay, I’m wise you dick. I just keep it hidden” Mickey feigned offence as Ian cackled at him.   
“Sure, sure” Ian replied, wiping at his eyes for a second time.   
The couple continued to rib at each other as they drove home. But Mickey’s words got Ian thinking. Maybe it was time he set himself free. He owed it to himself, to Mickey. 

~~~~~  
Ian found the perfect opportunity to set himself and Mickey free as the cold New York winter set in and the city was awash with Christmas festivity.   
“You gonna throw a Christmas party this year Lip?” Ian asked one Wednesday afternoon. It was barely November but Ian was excited.   
“You gonna turn up this year?” Lip quipped back. He was surprised his brother was showing any interest, considering he’d never attended one in the five years they’d worked together.   
“I’ll do one better, I’ll help you organise it” Ian laughed at his flabbergasted brother.  
“Are you for real?” Lip was stunned, it was the last thing he was expecting Ian to offer.   
“Of course, it’ll be the best Christmas party this company has ever had” Ian nodded, his mind already racing with ideas. 

Ian threw himself into organising the company Christmas party with gusto. Lip gave him a very strict budget but it was quickly blown.   
“Why on earth have you already gone over budget?” Lip asked as he scanned the receipts Ian had produced before looking up at his brother and studying his face. “Ok spill, what’s your angle?”   
“I may or may not have an announcement or two” Ian replied sheepishly.   
Lip took a second to process the information. “Oh, Ian I’m so proud of you!” 

Having Lip onboard with Ian’s plans was a lot more helpful than Ian thought it would be. Ian came clean on exactly what he was planning and Lip agreed to allow him to foot the bill. That way Ian could go mad and it wouldn’t cost the company a penny. Lip also proved helpful when it came to catering and venues, allowing Ian to use his contacts. 

“This looks great, Ian” Lip praised as they wandered through the space. Ian had hired a large private room in a five-star hotel that gave a spectacular view of the New York skyline. He’d decked the room out in elegant shades of dark purple and silver. There was a decent sized dancefloor and a table set up for a DJ that was surrounded by several round tables. There was a bar by the main entrance and one side of the windows opened out onto a wide balcony.   
“Thanks” Ian grinned. He was secretly proud how much he’d achieved in only a couple of weeks.   
“Anything else you need me to do?” Lip asked as they headed to the elevator.   
“Nah, I’ll swing by the tailor and the jewellery store on my way home and pick everything up” Ian replied. It was the last thing he needed to do before the party tomorrow night.   
“Let me go to Tiffany’s, I’ve been meaning to get Kerri a Christmas present” Lip offered as they exited the elevator and made their way out on the street.   
“Thanks man” Ian pulled the receipt from his wallet and handed it to his brother. 

~~~~~  
The following morning Ian woke early. He glanced his phone, 5:15am. Far too early to wake Mickey. Ian did value his life now. He carefully climbed out of bed and pulled on his running gear.   
Once he was out in the early morning air, Ian jogged towards Central Park. He wasn’t the only one up so early on a Friday morning but there weren’t many people around. Ian ran for about forty minutes before he headed home, stopping by one of the few bakeries open before 6am for breakfast pastries.   
By the time Ian arrived home Mickey still hadn’t stirred. He had shifted in his sleep, now slung diagonally across their bed, his head on Ian’s pillow. Ian smiled at the view, he could just see the curve of his Dom’s ass peeking out from under the covers. Ian stripped out of his running clothes before crawling onto the bed and positioning himself over Mickey’s body. He shot a quick glance at the clock radio that sat on Mickey’s bedside table. Yeah, 6:30am was an acceptable time to wake the raven haired man. Ian pulled the covers down further, revealing Mickey’s bare ass in all its perfectly pert glory. Ian’s mouth practically watered at the sight. He leant down and trailed a series of very light kisses down Mickey’s spine until he reached the top of Mickey’s ass.   
“Watcha doin’?” Mickey mumbled sleepily, shivering under Ian’s touch.   
“Not much” Ian replied as his tongue glided between Mickey’s cheeks. The Dom moaned and arched his back under Ian’s ministrations. Ian was so busy trying to get closer to Mickey’s hole, he didn’t notice his Dom reaching back until his fingers gripped his hair tightly, pushing his face impossibly further into Mickey’s ass. The Dom moaned as Ian’s tongue grazed over his hole, punching the entrance a few times.   
“Gonna fuck you so hard” Mickey purred. He pushed Ian off so he could flip onto his back before pulling the sub back down between his legs, this time onto his dick. Ian swallowed his Dom’s cock fully, licking a long stripe over the underside. Mickey jerked his hips up as he felt Ian’s finger brush over his hole.   
“Get up here” Mickey growled in a voice that went straight to Ian’s dick. The redhead obeyed, connecting their lips as Mickey reached between them and guided his cock into Ian’s hole without preamble. Ian yelped at the dry intrusion but settled on top of Mickey with practiced ease. Ian braced himself by splaying his large hands on Mickey’s chest before finding a rhythm. Ian moaned as Mickey kneaded both his nipples simultaneously. 

Mickey lasted about ten minutes before he got sick of the position. It wasn’t like having Ian on top of him wasn’t hot, because fuck it was. But he didn’t like feeling submissive and being under Ian gave Mickey that exact feeling. It didn’t matter that it was still his dick up Ian’s ass, it needed to change. So Mickey wrapped his arms tightly around Ian’s neck before using every ounce of strength he had to flip them. Ian’s eyes went wide and a tiny ‘oof’ escaped his lips as he took in the new position. What surprised them both was Mickey was able to remain inside Ian the entire time. With a wicked grin, Mickey pulled Ian’s arms up above his head and pinned both wrists into the pillows with one hand. He leant down and kissed his sub hard as he began to move his hips.   
“Leave your arms there” Mickey ordered as he leant down and nipped at Ian’s shoulder blade, sucking a mark on the sensitive skin. Mickey nipped and sucked a trail down Ian’s taut stomach, dipping his tongue into Ian’s bellybutton. Ian squealed at the bizarre sensation. It wasn’t something he’d felt before but he sure as hell wanted to feel again.   
“Do that again Sir” Ian begged. “Please”  
“Like that, huh?” Mickey grinned as he indulged his sub again. He licked at the surrounding skin before dipping his tongue back into the navel.   
“So close” Ian moaned, fisting the sheets so hard his knuckles turned white. Mickey pounded into Ian harder, slamming into the sub’s prostate with precision. “Please Sir”   
“Not yet” Mickey stated without slowing down. He could feel his own orgasm building. Ian writhed underneath him, silently egging him on.   
Just as Ian thought he couldn’t handle anymore Mickey granted him permission with a grunt and the pair came together. Mickey captured Ian’s lips in a quick kiss before pulling out and collapsing beside the sub. Ian turned his head and stared at Mickey as he caught his breath. Fuck, the man was beautiful. His black hair was slick with sweat and his eyes were closed. The morning sun hit Mickey’s pale skin, making it glow.   
“You’re starin’” Mickey said without opening his eyes.   
“I love you” Ian blurted out. Mickey’s eyes snapped open and widened as he stared at him. 

~~~~~

“Where the hell did these come from?” Mickey questioned when he opened the wardrobe and spotted the pair of tuxedos hanging there. He tentatively pulled one of them out and examined it, feeling the fabric between his fingers. Fuck, these were expensive. Ian wandered into the bedroom, his hair dripping wet.   
“Got them for tonight” Ian shrugged nonchalantly. He’d managed to sneak them both into their wardrobe the day before and Mickey had only noticed them now.   
“Didn’t know your company threw black tie events” Mickey said as he carefully put the tux back.   
“Tonight’s special” Ian came up behind Mickey and wrapped his arms around the shorter man, grinding his groin into Mickey’s clothed ass.   
“What’s so fucking special about a fucking Christmas party?” Mickey asked, leaning into Ian’s touch.   
“You’ll see” Ian said, slapping Mickey on the ass before dashing out of the room.   
It took Mickey a couple of seconds to register Ian’s words. “Aye! Get back here, explain yourself!” He marched out of the room and found Ian perched on the kitchen counter, popping a strawberry into his mouth. He stared at Mickey as he chewed and spread his legs. Filthy fucker.   
“Get down from there, we eat off that bench” Mickey tried to sound annoyed but the juice that was now dripping now Ian’s chin and onto his chest was just plain distracting. Ian grinned, the challenge clear in his eyes as he reached for another strawberry. Mickey stalked over to Ian and took the fruit right out of Ian’s mouth and tossed it into his own.   
“You’re gonna need another shower” Mickey said, raking his eyes over Ian’s chest. He leant in and licked at the red line that edging closer to his dick. “Or maybe I should just punish you for disobeying me”   
Ian shivered under Mickey’s tongue as it continued to glide between the toned muscles of the redhead’s torso. Ian closed his eyes and threw his head back against the kitchen cupboards as he enjoyed his Dom’s attention.  
“Go clean up and get dressed. We’re gonna be late” Mickey was suddenly on the other side of the kitchen, fishing around in the fridge. He spun around with a bottle of water in his hand and a wicked grin on his face.   
“So fucking mean” Ian grumped as he slid off the kitchen counter and headed back to their bedroom. He made sure to give Mickey a show by deliberately swinging his hips as he walked. 

Mickey tied the laces on his ridiculously shiny dress shoes as Ian walked back into the bedroom.   
“What the fuck is that?” Ian sighed, gesturing to the large black vibrator that sat on the bed.   
“Your punishment” Mickey replied simply as he adjusted his jacket.   
“Can’t you just spank me?” Ian whined.   
“But this is so much more fun” Mickey stated with a grin. He already had the tiny black remote in his trouser pocket. “Get on the bed”   
Ian considered putting up a fight for no longer than a couple of seconds. He knew Mickey wouldn’t put up with any bratty behaviour and Ian didn’t want to ruin the night. The sub climbed onto the bed and stuck his ass in the air.   
“Relax” Mickey coaxed as he slapped Ian’s ass a few times. He picked up the vibrator and drenched it in lube before lining it up with the redhead’s puckered hole. There was no teasing, no fucking but Ian still moaned as Mickey pushed the vibrator all the way in. Once it was flush against Ian’s ass, Mickey pulled the redhead off the bed and into a searing, passionate kiss. “I love you too” 

~~~~~

“Stop with the fucking faces, you look like you’re having a fit!” Mickey hissed as they wandered through the hotel lobby and joined the small group waiting by the elevators.   
“Can’t help it” Ian stuttered, as the vibrator hummed lowly in his ass. “This fucking thig is driving me mad”   
“It’s on the lowest setting” Mickey replied, his voice barely audible.   
“And it’s been like that since we left home!” Ian shot back. The elevator dinged open and they all shuffled inside. Mickey and Ian managed to back themselves right in the back corner. Mickey reached into his pocket and fingered the tiny black remote, flipped it to the next setting. Beside him, Ian’s breath hitched and his eyes fluttered closed. Mickey quickly glanced around the elevator, not a single person was taking any notice of them, before reaching behind Ian and pressing on the hard, round end of the vibrator.   
“What’re you –” Ian stammered. The panic that was rising in his guy was quickly replaced by a warm rush of desire as Mickey worked him over.   
“Shut up. Eyes forward” Mickey ordered. He shuffled closer to Ian as the elevator continued its ascent. By the time they arrived at the functions level of the hotel Ian was a hot mess. Thankfully they were the only ones in the elevator so he was able to compose himself.   
“I’m just gonna go to the bathroom” Ian said when they stepped onto the floor.   
“No you’re not” Mickey gripped his arm and steered the redhead down the corridor.   
“Sir, please, I’m desperate” Ian stopped and spun around, trying to back Mickey up against the wall.   
“Just the way I like you” Mickey smirked, raking his eyes over Ian’s perfectly tailored tuxedo. “This is a punishment, remember?”  
Ian sighed but didn’t say a word before stepping back and leading the way into the function room. 

Mickey had managed to lose sight of his sub. They’d been separated within minutes of entering the room so Mickey decided to head for the bar. Now, with a drink in hand, Mickey stood against the wall and just watched. It was quite the affair. It was lavish and everyone was dressed up just as much as he was. Waiters weaved their way through the crowd with silver platters. There was a band at one end, playing a low melodic tune Mickey didn’t recognise. He could see a few people dancing in front of the band.   
“Mickey, you’re here!”   
Mickey turned in time to catch Maria as she all but fell into his arms. Her face was flushed and the alcohol was heavy on her breath.   
“Started early, did you?” Mickey chuckled as he guided her to lean against the wall.  
“Sue me! I’m allowed to have a little bit of fun!” Maria slurred, waving her arms around and almost hitting Mickey in the face.   
“It’s nice to see you let your hair down” Mickey said with a smile. He sipped at his drink.   
“Where’s Ian?” Maria asked as though she had just thought about him.   
“Lost him when I walked in” Mickey shrugged. “He’ll find me later”   
Maria grinned and winked at him, cackling loudly. “He sure will!”   
Before Mickey could respond a tall, dark man stepped forward with an exasperated look on his face. “Maria, there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere”  
“You found me” Maria threw her arms back and this time managed to connect with the side of Mickey’s face. “Shit sorry Mickey!”  
“Don’t worry about it” Mickey mumbled, rubbing at the side of his face.   
“Mickey? Are you…?” The man who was now holding Maria up looked between the pair.   
“Oh, yes! Luke, this is Mickey. He’s my closeted husband’s boyfriend” Maria said bluntly.   
“Jesus” Mickey muttered around his glass. There was a beat of awkwardness before Maria seemed to come to her senses.   
“I want another drink Luke, let’s leave Mickey to it for a bit” Luke and Maria nodded their farewell before disappearing into the crowd. As Mickey downed the last of his drink, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.   
“Where the hell are you?” Mickey back himself into a corner so he could hear Ian better.   
“Bathroom” Ian confessed. “I can’t be out there with this thing in my ass”   
“You took it out?” Mickey questioned.   
“No, I’ve been trying to work up the courage to call you” Ian replied. “I know I’ve been disobedient”   
“Yes” Mickey said, an idea dawning on him. He reached into the pocket and fished the remote out. “Yes you have”  
“Please Sir!” Ian squealed when the vibrator came to life. “I can’t hold on any longer”  
“Oh but you will” Mickey said simply. “You were given very simple instructions and you didn’t follow them, did you?”  
“No Sir” Ian panted.   
“Lock yourself in a cubicle and take off your pants” Mickey ordered. Ian sighed in his ear but he could hear the redhead’s shoes against the bathroom tile and then there was the click of a cubicle.   
“Done Sir” Ian replied.   
“I’m going to allow you to come but you’re not allowed to touch yourself” Mickey said. “Do you understand?”  
“Yes sir” Ian moaned as the vibrator pulsed harder in his ass. “Fuck”  
“Pinch your nipples through your shirt” Mickey ordered. He bit his lower lip as his own dick grew.   
“Oh Sir, I’m so hard. My nipples are like stones” Ian said breathlessly. “Fuck, can I come Sir?”  
“How close are you?” Mickey asked.   
“Very” Ian answered.  
“Hold it” Mickey demanded. He pulled the phone from his ear and took a glass of wine from a passing waiter, downing it in a single gulp. Mickey didn’t even like wine but it did the job.   
“Ok, you can come” Mickey said once he put the phone back to his ear. He shot the vibrator up to its highest setting as Ian came loudly in his ear.   
“Please turn it off Sir!” Ian begged. Mickey smirked but obliged, flipping it off completely.   
“Leave it in, clean yourself up and come find me” Mickey instructed before promptly hanging up. 

The party was in full swing and Mickey was surprised how much of a good time he was having. He had a pleasant buzz going and Ian by his side. He was trying to follow some story Lip was telling but kept getting distracted by Ian. It wasn’t that Ian was doing anything in particular, he was just laughing along with his brother but it was the most beautiful sight Mickey had ever seen. Ian’s face was slightly flushed by the small amount of alcohol he’d consumed and there was a large, bright smile on his face.   
Ian leant across Mickey, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder and whispering something in his ear. It was over so quickly Mickey didn’t even have a chance to try and catch it. The next thing he knew, Lip was on his feet and wandering over to the band and Ian was ushering them over.   
“I just wanted to say a few words before everyone got completely trashed” Lip said into the mic. The room erupted into laughter. “As you may have noticed, this isn’t really like our usual Christmas parties, so I’m going to invite the man who organised everything up here. Ian?”  
Ian moved out from behind Mickey and took the mic from Lip, thanking him earnestly. “Thanks bro. I want to start by saying, enjoy tonight because it’s not becoming a habit” The crowd laughed again and Mickey found himself laughing right along with them. 

“Ok, ok. I do have an ulterior motive but I’ll get to that in a moment. First of all, I’d like to apologise and thank each and every person in this room. I wasn’t the nicest person to work with for a very long time but I want you all to know, things are changing I’m hoping we can move forward together. Second, I want to say something you all already know. It’s a huge step for me and it’s time I actually said the words” Ian paused, finding Mickey’s eyes in the crowd and smiled softly. “I’m gay”   
Mickey’s heart stuttered as the room erupted in applause and cheers. Mickey quickly joined in, he felt so incredibly proud in that moment. Ian had come so far. It took a while for the room to calm down before Ian could continue but the smile on his face couldn’t have been wider.   
“Ok, ok. I have one last thing to say, well ask, before we can go back to getting trashed” Ian chuckled. “Mickey where are you? Join me up here would you?”  
Suddenly every pair of eyes were on Mickey and he wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He glared at Ian, what the fuck was the bastard up to?   
“Go on Mickey!” Maria was at his side within seconds and pushing him forward. Against his better judgement Mickey found himself being pushed towards his boyfriend who was wearing the unholiest of grins.   
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mickey growled when Ian took Mickey’s hand and pulled him centre stage. Ian just pecked him quickly on the cheek and took both his hands so Mickey’s fingers stayed the hell away from his pocket.   
“I can’t believe how lucky I am to have met you” Ian began, staring Mickey down. “You’ve taught me so much and I can tell you how much you mean to me. I’m sorry for all the bullshit but I’m grateful you never gave up on me” Mickey’s eyes nearly popped out of him head when Ian dropped to a knee and pulled a small black box from his pocket. 

“Mickey Milkovich, will you marry me?”

Mickey felt suddenly sick. It was the last thing he was expecting tonight. It wasn’t something they’d talked about. They’d barely been together for a year for fucks sake! But was it something Mickey saw in his future with Ian? Absolutely yes, without a doubt. But he had no idea Ian was even considering marriage, it never came up in conversation. Shouldn’t they at least talk about it before someone proposed?

“Mick?”

Ian’s worried voice broke into Mickey’s runaway thoughts and the older man was brought back to the present. He was standing in front of a crowd of people who were all expecting an answer. Mickey looked at Ian and plastered a smile on his face. 

“Yes, I’ll fucking marry you” 

The relief was clear on Ian’s face as he stepped forward and planted a quick kiss on his lips.   
“You had me worried for a second there” Ian whispered in his ear when they embraced. Ian pulled away enough to slip the simple silver ring on Mickey’s finger before turning to their audience who were applauding loudly.   
Mickey allowed himself to be congratulated for about an hour before he got completely jack of it. He downed the last of his drink and marched across the room to where Ian was talking with Lip and Kerri.   
“We’re leaving” Mickey said in Ian’s ear. “You have ten minutes to say goodbye, I’ll be outside” Mickey didn’t wait to hear Ian’s reply heading straight for the elevator. 

“He ok?” Lip asked as he, Ian and Kerri watched Mickey head out of the room.   
“He’s probably just tired” Ian said but Mickey’s tone did have him worried. “I’d better go find him”   
Ian started across the room, stopping at each group to say good night.   
“Hey Ian!” Lip called as Ian walked out into the corridor and over to the elevators. “Are you ok? What happened here night? Mickey didn’t exactly look thrilled when you proposed”  
Ian shrugged sadly. “He said yes and is still wearing the ring, I don’t know what happened”   
“Hey, don’t go jumping to conclusions. Talk to him” Lip pulled his brother into a hug and held him tightly. “You’ll work it out”   
“I hope so” Ian wiped at his eyes as Lip punched the elevator call button. Lip stayed with him until the elevator arrived and waved him off with a hopeful smile. 

Ian found Mickey leaning against the building out on the street with a cigarette hanging from his lips. In any other situation, Ian would be turned on by the sight. But the second their eyes met Ian knew Mickey wasn’t happy. Mickey pushed off the building and stubbed his cigarette out as a dark red SVU pulled up in front of them.   
“Ordered an Uber” Mickey explained as he stepped towards the vehicle and opened the back door. Ian slipped into the back beside Mickey as the driver pulled back into the traffic.   
“Mick” Ian tried but Mickey shook head.   
“Not talkin’ about it here” Mickey said firmly. He turned away from Ian, staring out the window. Ian sighed and caught the driver’s eye in the rear-view mirror for a second before they both looked away. Ian fought back tears as the silence between them lengthened. Maybe he really had fucked up by proposing. Maybe marriage was something Mickey didn’t want. Ian got so caught up in the romance of it all, he never stopped to consider whether or not Mickey actually wanted to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil laugh* I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to this story yet. But the next chapter WILL be the last, I can promise you that.


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey and Ian talk things through and move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a massive shout out to the anon who sent me this prompt. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope I managed to include everything you wanted.   
> Also to everyone else who read, commented and kudo'd this fic - it's greatly appreciated!

“Mick, we need to talk about this” Ian pleaded as they entered their apartment. Mickey didn’t reply, shucking off his jacket as he headed into the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. Ian sighed as his frustration leaked from his eyes. He wiped at his eyes before pulling his own jacket off and tossing it over the back of the sofa. Without thinking Ian took his shirt off as well before sinking to his knees with his head bowed.   
Mickey wandered back into the living room to be greeted by the sight of Ian on his knees. He sighed and put his beer on the nearest flat surface.   
“Ian, get up” Mickey demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Ian didn’t move. “For the love of fuck Ian, I can’t have this conversation with you on your knees”   
Ian still didn’t move, instead screwing his eyes tightly closed as few tears fell. Mickey sighed in frustration before dropping to his knees in front of Ian and reaching out and lifting the sub’s chin up with a finger.   
“Ian, look at me”   
Ian opened his eyes and looked at his Dom through his tears. He sniffed and wiped at his eyes.   
“Go clean yourself up, get changed and we’ll talk ok?” Mickey spoke gently. “I want to have this conversation as your boyfriend, not your Dom”

Ian stared at himself in the mirror as he washed his face. He could hear Mickey moving about in their bedroom as the older man changed out of his tux. Ian felt a little numb, he didn’t know how this conversation was about to go. The one thing he did know was that he didn’t want to lose Mickey. If this conversation was going to lead to a breakup Ian didn’t know if he could handle it. Mickey was by far the best thing in his life and everyday was made easier for Ian knowing Mickey was by his side.   
By the time Ian remerged from the bathroom, now with a clean face and wearing a pair of grey sweats and a loose white tee, Mickey was lounging on their bed wearing exactly the same thing. Ian smiled a little at how stupidly in sync they were.   
“Watcha smilin’ bout?” Mickey asked as Ian climbed onto the bed beside him.   
“You. Us. We’re matching” Ian replied, pointing out their outfits.  
“Ha, so we are. Great minds think alike and all that” Mickey chuckled. He leaned over and captured Ian’s lips with his own, curling his hand into Ian’s hair. They made out, soft and slow, for a while. Ian eventually and reluctantly pulled away, settling against the headboard beside Mickey.   
“Do you want to be with me, Mick?” Ian asked.   
“Yes, absolutely” Mickey said earnestly. “I love you”   
“But you don’t want to marry me” Ian stared at his hands as tears pricked the corner of his eyes again. Mickey put a hand under Ian’s chin, forcing the younger man to look at him.   
“Ian, we haven’t even been together for a year. We’ve only been living together for a few months” Mickey explained.   
“That’s not a yes” Ian pointed out.   
“It’s not a no either” Mickey countered. “It’s a not right now. Ian, I want to be with you for as long as you’ll have me but I’m not ready for marriage yet. Give me a couple of years and ask me again”  
Ian smiled brightly. “Seriously?”  
“Yes, you idiot” Mickey released Ian’s face and pushed him back roughly. “If we’d talked about it you would’ve known that before putting us both through last night”   
“So just for future reference, you want me to ask you about marriage before proposing?” Ian fought to keep a straight face and Mickey rolled his eyes.   
“You’re an idiot” Mickey chuckled as he swung his leg over Ian to straddle him. “We should be on the same page. So if you plan on doing something as ridiculous as last night, I’d like you to drop a few hints beforehand”  
“I think I can manage that” Ian moaned as Mickey ground his groin into Ian’s. Their lips found each other and there was nothing soft or slow about the kiss this time. This time it was all heat, passion and need.   
“Get your pants off” Mickey grunted as he fumbled with his own. Their sweats landed on top of each other on the floor, their underwear quickly following. Ian mewled as he shifted down the bed until he was lying flat on his back, Mickey’s mouth chasing him the entire way. Mickey reached between them as they kissed and pulled at Ian’s hard cock.  
“Gonna make you feel it all” Mickey muttered against Ian’s lips, nipping at the redhead’s lower lip.   
“Please Mickey, I need everything” Ian groaned. Mickey moved down to Ian’s shoulder, sucking at the skin. Mickey slowly but surely made his way down Ian’s body, leaving a trail of blooming bruises in his wake. When he finally took Ian’s dick in his mouth, the redhead was a writhing mess underneath him. They locked eyes as Mickey licked a long stripe over the underside of Ian’s cock. They maintained eye contact as Mickey took Ian’s entire nine inches into his mouth easily.   
“Fuck” Ian moaned. “You look so damn hot”   
Mickey grinned as he brought a finger to Ian’s entrance, pressing in a finger at a time until he was knuckles deep with three fingers inside the redhead. Ian was babbling incoherently above him. Mickey grazed over Ian’s prostate several times, causing the redhead’s entire body to jolt off the bed.   
“Gonna make me come like that” Ian mumbled as he fisted the sheets and curled his toes.   
“Better stop then” Mickey said as he slowly pulled his fingers from Ian’s ass until only the very tip of his middle finger was resting in the puckered hole. Ian whimpered as Mickey removed his finger completely, only to yelp in surprise when Mickey lined himself up and entered Ian dry.   
For the first time since they met Mickey and Ian made love. It was slow and passionate. Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s shoulders, licking at the seam of Mickey’s lips.   
“I’m close” Ian said as he bit down on Mickey’s shoulder.   
“Me too” Mickey replied as his hips snapped against Ian harder. A few strong thrusts later Mickey and Ian fell over the edge together.   
“That was different” Mickey commented as he fell onto his back and stretched out his arms. He was sated, sure, but something was missing. There was nothing earth shattering about the orgasm.   
“Yeah, it was” Ian agreed, rolling into Mickey and splaying his fingers across Mickey’s dry chest. It was odd, he’d become so used to feeling Mickey’s sweat that he almost missed it.   
“I think we need to go back to what we were doing before” Mickey stated.   
“Oh thank fuck” Ian laughed, the relief clear in his voice. “That was kinda boring”   
Mickey laughed. “You’re not wrong. So you ready to go again?”   
“Why you askin’?” Ian grinned. Mickey scoffed loudly as he pinned the redhead down hard and attacked his body with his mouth. 

~~~~~  
Mickey fell back onto the mattress panting and much more satisfied. Ian was passed out beside him. As he waited for Ian to come round Mickey stared at the piece of metal that encircled his left ring finger. Seeing it there was as scary as it was thrilling. But he knew he wasn’t ready for it to be there permanently. Someday, yes, but not right now.   
“What’re ya gonna do about it?” Ian mumbled in a barely coherent voice. It took a second for Mickey to work out what his redhead was talking about. He looked at Ian to see him staring at his fingers as Mickey played with the ring.   
“This” Mickey said. He took the ring off and put it on the same finger on his right hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My prompts are open. Leave a comment here or come talk to me over on Tumblr. Livefortoday-dreamforever

**Author's Note:**

> The references to 'the Dom' and 'the sub' instead of using the characters may seem a little odd but at this point Mickey and Ian don't know each other's name. When Domming, Mickey prefers anonymity so he never introduces himself to his sub and doesn't ask his sub's name either. 
> 
> Also, I'm not completely happy with the title so if anyone has any suggestions, maybe the anon prompter, please let me know!


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